Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 7, line 14, to delete "may" and substitute "shall".

This relates to subsection (2) of section 53B of the 1952 Act which states:

Without prejudice to any other provision of this Part, regulations under subsection (1)(a) may contain provisions similar to the provisions of Directive 85/337/EEC and may, in particular, require the Commission, when considering whether to grant an aquaculture licence, to take account of any information received by, or representations made to, the Commission which relate to the impact of aquaculture on the environment.

The amendment seeks to change "may" to "shall". The requirement should be mandatory. The provision I quoted seems to contradict the revised section 53C which follows it. That states: "In determining any application for an aquaculture licence, the Commission should consider any written representations relating to the application which are received by the Commission within the period of 28 days...". This was discussed on Committee Stage. I welcome the Minister's amendment. He has stated that he would consider my amendment even though he had some doubts about it. He has extended the provision to include any representation made to the commission which relates to the impact of aquaculture on the environment. At the Government's presentation on seafood a few weeks ago there seemed to be a view held by the Taoiseach, the Minister and the Minister of State, that aquaculture must be the way forward in the long term if there is to be a sustainable seafood industry which could meet the challenge of the massive requirements for nutrition, given the benefits of seafood. The environmental impact is critical. One of my first contributions in the House and in the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, was to do with complaints I received regarding Lough Swilly and the environmental impact of aquaculture in that waterway on the other side of Inishowen which is very beautiful and famed. The environmental impact is critical to the issue of the sustainability of aquaculture if this is the way forward in increasing the supply of seafood. The Labour Party and my colleagues in Fine Gael and Sinn Féin have our own views about the targets put forward in the Government's seafood strategy and the question of funding. The Minister put forward a proposal for 3.5% of the total national development plan budget for his Department to be put into fisheries. This amount should be revisited by the next Government, whatever its composition.

I do not see why the Minister should not make it mandatory that there be a requirement for submissions on environmental impact on our coastal waterways because we all have to live in the environment. These waterways must be protected at all costs while encouraging coastal communities to develop sustainable seafood industries.

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