Mr. Tom Coughlan:

Taking the last point first, the delay has been noted and commented upon, particularly in respect of large-scale potential developments. I am aware of one in particular, in the Shannon Estuary, where a long delay in a foreshore licence application has cast doubt on the future investment and development of the project. We cannot afford to have delays. If a potential investor wants to invest in the Shannon Estuary or in the marine sector, we must be able to respond quickly. Potential investors and developers have made me aware that they can go to Scotland and get quick responses to applications, which is an incentive for them to invest in Scotland rather than Ireland. From that point of view, it is important that delays are kept to a minimum.

With regard to the plan-led approach, Deputy Stanley's comment summarises my point exactly. We prepare terrestrial development plans for our functional areas but not marine development plans for our marine areas. It is becoming apparent that the marine area is important and that there is substantial development potential in marine. The west coast of Clare has been identified as one of the two hotspots in terms of wave energy and wave energy potential. The other hotspot is Belmullet, County Mayo. We are anxious to drive development but it must be done in a sustainable way and we must have regard to the environmental impact.

That is why I referred to the strategic infrastructure framework plan integrated for the Shannon Estuary. The objective of the plan is to balance development potential with the fact that the Shannon Estuary is a protected area through European designation. It took a year and a half or two years to get through the process of preparing the plan. There are 19 partners, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Marine Institute the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Office of Public Works. These were the public sector organisations and agencies that had a vested interest in the development of the Shannon Estuary or in its protection. That is the scale of complexity when dealing with the marine environment, as referred to by the previous speaker. We must have a plan-led approach. We cannot and adopt an ad hoc approach to the development of the marine sector. In my presentation, I referred to the lack of a plan-led approach and the need for same.

If a small-scale testing facility were to be developed, it would not require an environmental impact assessment. Under the proposed Bill, if it was outside the nearshore area, the application would have to go to An Bord Pleanála. That is the kind of application local authorities could deal with. We have one on the way in County Clare and I hope we see many more. A local authority could deal with that application rather than having to send the developer to An Bord Pleanála. Generating support for projects is necessary because sometimes the local community reacts with concern and fear of the unknown to a potential renewable energy development offshore. It is useful that local councillors and officials can provide assurance to local people that this is something worth considering and that a planning application can go to the local authority rather than An Bord Pleanála, which is located far from the people with concerns. It is usually easier to get the message across that this may not be a bad thing and to get local support, which is important.