Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

Operations which require consent would include, for example, altering watercourses or wetlands, burning areas of vegetation, harvesting marine species, construction or alteration of tracks, paths, roads, embankments, car parks or access routes, dumping, burning or disposal of any materials, reclaiming land for agricultural purposes, planting of trees, reclamation or infilling, removal of soil, mud, sand, gravel, rock or minerals, etc.

The fair application of these protective measures would not have any serious economic consequence for the people of Wexford town. It is not envisaged that there would be a need to interfere with current levels of recreational use of the site.

The Government is committed to the payment of a fair and proper level of compensation to landowners and land-users who are at a financial loss as a result of the designation of a SPA. Lands within a SPA or a commonage constitute target areas under measure A, conservation of natural heritage of REPS, as operated by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Under that scheme generous top-up payments are available to those who have land in designated area.

Separate from REPS, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government runs a farm plan scheme which allows a landowner to seek compensation for actual losses or costs incurred due to restrictions placed on existing activities solely as a result of the inclusion of an area in a special protected area.

Any proposed large-scale development in the area would go through normal planning processes and be subject to appropriate assessment from an environmental perspective. However, the footprint of this SPA designation is on the water surface. Consequently, I do not envisage such development issues as being particularly problematic in this context.

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