Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Amendment No. 96 proposes to delete section 19(1), relating to a marine spatial plan to which Chapter 4 applies. It states that section 19 is not to apply to plans to which Chapter 4 applies, relating to the requirement to lay the intended development plan before the Oireachtas.

I would like to understand the rationale for that. I am guessing the Minister of State will say it is because it is the ones that are dealing with local authorities and where they intend to make plans. I would like to hear his explanation. I cannot see any reason to accept the requirement for the intention to make a marine spatial plan before the Oireachtas.

Regarding amendment No. 97, the Bill requires that an intention to make a marine spatial plan would be laid before the Oireachtas and will have regard for recommendations of any committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas, but it does not go as far as ours does in requiring that all committees be notified. That is quite important in that the impact of marine spatial plans can cross many areas. I suspect that many committees that might have an interest in the stuff we are discussing here are not even aware of how it may potentially impact them or for that matter how the national marine planning framework may impact things that are of concern to them. The requirement to alert all Oireachtas committees to any intention to make marine special plans is important so that they have the opportunity to give input into those and those inputs need to be taken seriously. There is a wider requirement for the public to be notified of any intention to make marine special plans. We should be thorough in ensuring that the public is made aware of that and has the opportunity to give input to such plans.