Mr. Damien Melvin:

In regard to licensing and the cash economy, my view is that the issuing of licences should be based on a number of factors. As I said in my opening statement, anybody who wants a licence should be entitled to one. If a person wants to harvest seaweed for his or her own personal use, there should be no issue with it. It has been a tradition that people are allowed to do this, but it should be regulated. Any company that wants to harvest commercially is entitled to do so, but it should be a requirement that it be tax compliant and has obtained approval from the HSE before a licence will be granted. This would ensure any company selling on the open market was complying with HSE regulations and paying its taxes, which is what I have to do.

It is important to allow people to utilise the sea and the resources it produces naturally every year. It is unfair to eliminate any person or body from engaging in that activity. Seaweed is natural, renewable and one of the few resources we have left. It is important that it be managed correctly. That cannot be done from Wexford; it must be done at a more local level, perhaps through local authorities or the Environmental Protection Agency. People should be allowed to harvest seaweed, but there must be oversight to ensure it is all above board.