Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The presentation refers to a 20-year licence. People in the industry have explained to me that when they talk about a 20-year licence they also know there need to be improved regulatory and monitoring systems in place. If one is trying to build a market and one needs to show a pipeline, what would that look like in terms of increased regulation and monitoring? Speaking personally, I think we can build a much bigger aquaculture industry in Ireland while addressing the legitimate environmental concerns people have. I think we can do both. If we have a system in which decisions are made quicker, which is better resourced to make those decisions and is resourced for regulation and monitoring, I think we can achieve a balance. Will the witnesses talk about their vision of how we can get that balance in the industry? How can we address legitimate environmental concerns while growing the industry?