Dr. Cecil Beamish:

We have to go back to the discussions with the Commission in 2008 and 2009, which resulted in an outcome whereby there was a roadmap for building this system for licensing and compliance, which could not be done other than by getting all that data. There was also tolerance on the part of the Commission in terms of pulling back from taking all the aquaculture out. The aquaculture area continued on the terms and conditions it was on. Equally, the funding mechanisms are cofunded by the Commission, and it has been very clear all the way through this, and was clear back at that time, that if an activity was operating in a Natura site but was not licensed in compliance with the Natura habitats and birds directives, it could not receive development funding. I tried to address that earlier in saying that the current funding round that is in its place, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, has been back-loaded in the aquaculture area. Most of the funds are still available. If the backlog can be cleared, the development funding can be drawn down. However, it is true that if an operation was not licensed in compliance with the birds and habitats directives, it could not draw down development funding, and that was a reality and a difficulty. Of the 600 applications that have gone through and on which determinations have been made, it is open to those people who have got licences draw down funding. I checked with Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, in the past few days and the level of interest in, and demand for, the schemes is going up all the time. If the backlog can be cleared, those people who will get determinations at that point will be able to pull from the schemes that are there, the EMFF schemes.