Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have one observation from an exchange we had with the Department last week. If one takes terrestrial planning, and I know it is not the same, we zone certain geographical areas where certain types of activity are permissible. Even where these is one planning enforcement body, which is our local authority, and even when everybody knows there is a single form to fill in to make a formal complaint, which used to cost €20 but is now free, planning enforcement is still a slow and unsatisfactory process. That is no criticism of planning authorities. There is an online article in one of the newspapers today saying the planning authorities need an extra 35% just to make planning decisions and to work on policy, let alone for enforcement.

There are two aspects to this. One is either having the maximum degree of co-operation between existing entities or some streamlining, but also when somebody is responsible for enforcement they need to have the legal capacity and the resources to do that. The issue of the role of the navy came up in the general scheme and the navy has an important role, but it is not known for its biodiversity and ecology expertise, unlike people like Professor Crowe and the Marine Institute. When the ship is out in the middle of the ocean, it might rock up to some industrial operator, for example, to ask "Well, what it happening, my friend?" How that will function in the real world will be tricky and, therefore, for us it is not just about who is to enforce but what powers, resources and expertise they have. We can sign something on paper that looks very nice but if it is like our terrestrial planning enforcement, we will be battling that for decades to come. I take from what Professor Crowe said about a role for the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the special areas of conservation, SACs, etc., that was not something that was adequately addressed in the creation of that structure and, therefore, we need to look at that in this legislation. However that is just an observation for the record.