Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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I thank Mr. Cronin. Much of the time talking about the Maritime Area Planning Bill was spent trying to compare back to terrestrial planning because we know about that, and this is somewhat new to us. If one has European designations such as special areas of conservation, SACs, or a special protection areas, SPAs, there are certain things one must do before one goes into the planning process and an appropriate assessment takes place on those areas. Is there an equivalent in Europe on planning where a marine protected area is in place. We know the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, the agency with this responsibility, will have to carry out environmental impact assessments on all of the developments and much of the activity. If it is an SAC, there are the appropriate assessments and Natura impact statements that need to be done. Is there something for marine protected areas? Is there a third space there? Is that done in Europe at the moment, which would require a more stringent environmental assessment?