Mr. Richard Cronin:

Regarding the spatial 30%, the marine environment is three-dimensional in nature. If we look at a spatial plan area, we are not really capturing everything we need. We can certainly go for 30% spatial coverage. My view is that ultimately this is the measurement by which this will be achieved at policy level but below that policy level, there needs to be a set of conversations, which I am having with my colleagues in other countries, about how effective this 30% is as a high global ambition. Thirty percent of what we want to protect - is it just a map or is it 30% of key species? Should it be more of some or less of others? Beyond the 30% and whatever it will look like on a map there is another conversation we are having and it is important for us to explain the subtlety of that so that we pay ongoing consideration to it.

Am I overly optimistic? Are others pessimistic? I cannot speak for others. We have a process of assessment in Ireland and in our broader European area that we do together and that involves scientists and members of civic society. With those assessments, we have information that tells us about the health of biodiversity. I would not for a moment suggest the status of biodiversity is satisfactory, but we have seen progress across a number of key indicators where animals are now in favourable conservation status. Our message at national and international level has been that we need to take more action, play our part, be responsible nationally and within our broader Atlantic environment and play our part to make sure biodiversity is protected and restored across our marine space and the north east Atlantic, and we have to do this with others. Because of the three-dimensional space, the lines we see on our maps are really just administrative. Where we create marine protected areas, they will have a relationship with those spaces outside Ireland's marine space, for example, in the high seas areas out to the west and to the north and south and those other countries as well.

Do I have a concern about maritime area consents coming forward before we have the marine protected areas designation piece in place? It is clear that all consents will come with conditions. How we word those conditions and the obligation to implement them will be very important. Another thing worth considering is that irrespective of whether we have a spatial designation in place for marine protected areas at the time, there is an obligation on everybody in Government and all operators to comply with the full suite of national and international legislation to which we subscribe.