Mr. Seamus Mac Eochaidh:

I do not know if Deputy Ó Cuív was here earlier when I read from the statement issued by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government which states specifically that foreshore licences are not exclusive and contain site-specific conditions with which the licence must comply. I understand this to mean that if a person applies for a licence for ascophyllum nodosum, he may get that licence, but this will not impact on the ability of someone else to get a licence to harvest carrageen or chondrus crispus or whatever. The Department is strict on that.

In all our dealings with the Department - as a development agency we have been dealing with it for a number of years - our job is to attract investment into the sector and help the sector grow. The Department is very much aware of its responsibilities in this regard and has a marine licence setting committee. I know, because two of our clients, one a company in Donegal and the other a start-up company in Connemara, and now also Arramara, have made licence applications, that this is an onerous process. It is not just a simple matter of downloading a form from the Internet and filling in some details. The process is onerous and rigorous, particularly in respect of conforming with the National Parks and Wildlife Service requirements. This committee will probably make recommendations to the Minister and I would like to confirm for it that the existing system is onerous and is designed to protect a State asset.

To return to the question of the folios, the Department is clear on the fact that this discussion relates to State-owned foreshore. People must understand that if it is not State-owned foreshore, the Department does not have any rights to grant or withhold licences.

Ó thaobh chomh-iarratais or joint applications agus mar sin de, fágfaidh mé faoin gcomhlacht féin níos mó a rá faoi sin. On the surface, joint applications seem a nice aspiration, but my understanding of the harvesting community is that some are more active than others. Some 200 or 300 people have harvested for Arramara traditionally and the practicality of including all of these in one licence application would be cumbersome.

There has been significant emphasis on the rights that go with a licence, but there are also huge responsibilities. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is trying to ensure somebody takes responsibility for the sustainable harvesting of this national asset. If we do not ensure it is harvested sustainably, we will be made do it by Brussels. The Department needs to be able to identify people who will be responsible for sustainable harvesting. While not impossible, that is much more difficult to do if the responsibility is spread over 200 or 300 harvesters.