Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

I congratulate Mr. Sisk on his new role. I wish him every success. I submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister recently. I am advised that there are 295 aquaculture license applications awaiting an appropriate assessment. It seems to take an inordinate amount of time. There are two problems. If we are looking to develop the aquaculture industry and meet the objectives of BIM and so on, a timeframe is needed. Also, people can legitimately object, and they need to have a timeframe for when a decision will be made. How long does it take to complete an appropriate assessment? How many appropriate assessments can the Marine Institute complete in a year? Is there a dual-track system for completing appropriate assessments for finfish and shellfish, for example?

The other point is that, if awaiting a decision, no grant assistance can be availed of. That leaves a person in no man's land. Is it the case that we would need to allocate the Marine Institute more resources? Has it enough people to carry out these roles? I want to get a sense of that.

I am going to cite a statistic. I am from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal, which has a population of about 40,000. The Faroe Islands have a population of about 55,000. The Faroe Islands have a bigger aquaculture industry than all of Ireland. One way or the other, a decision has to be made. Whether the Marine Institute says "Yay" or "Nay", I do not take any position on that. That is in the hands of more capable people than me. However, we need to make a timely decision based on resources available. Can I get a sense of where all that is at?