Dr. Liam Lysaght:

I thank Deputy Coffey for his kind words. I am glad we can provide him with feedback on mammal sightings. Report of sightings are greatly appreciated.

I will deal first with the issue of aquaculture, but will leave planning out of it. We are not a statutory consultee and do not get formal requests for information. We operate through a portal we are trying to encourage anybody who wishes to use. I mentioned the term the "democratisation of data" and that is our policy. Anybody can access or define an area on the map and generate the information known on that area, or more technically, the information that is available on our database. Whether one is a statutory authority or Joe public, one has the same access to our system. The system is user led and users do not need to come through us, but can define what they want from it.

In regard to aquaculture, one of the tangential areas is that we maintain a national invasive species database and we engage heavily in that regard at both national and European level. There are other issues about the importation of non-native species. One thing Ireland does well, compared to other European countries, is that there is good national co-ordination between the various State bodies in terms of invasive species. We are more or less the engine driving that, but there is great co-operation between us and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. We have an indirect role in aquaculture, but not a specific involvement.

The portal we have developed is no good unless it is used. We can lead a horse to water. We hope this portal will become a link that every planner in every local authority will have on his or her desktop, which they will use routinely. If there is to be a development in an area, they can use a simple query searching for the townland and can get a report on what species have been located within the area. Part of my work has been to go around to the local authorities, working mostly through the heritage officers within the local authorities who set up meetings with staff in the authorities. We give a demonstration of how the mapping system can be used as a tool. To be honest, I do not know to what extent the system is being used, but it needs to be used more. Part of my core work is going out and doing the salesman bit to try to get the local authorities to use it. It is a valuable tool, but we need to get people to use it routinely.