Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs

Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion

2:00 am

Mr. Robert McCabe:

I will take the first question about the fishers, which brings us back to marine spatial planning and the national marine planning framework. When An Bord Pleanála - now An Coimisiún Pleanála - was making a presentation to us, it was very strong on how it used the national marine planning framework as a measure of what a correct application was. That framework, from a fishing perspective, has avoidance at the very top. Avoiding any impacts is the first step, followed by mitigating impacts and so on. Where there are then residual impacts after that process, but not instead of it, discussions have to take place around where the national interest lies.

That involves us then in the piece of work we are about to engage on around coexistence and disruption and displacement issues.

The community benefit fund is seen as slightly separate to that. Fishing is specifically mentioned in it but, as I understand it, it is not intended to be a fund to compensate for any disruption or displacement. Disruption or displacement should be avoided if at all possible, but it should be handled separately. The community benefit fund is for the overall community benefit but it specifically includes seafood and fishing interests. I hope that was helpful.

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