Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister that the system is deeply flawed and has been so for years. I have seen aquaculture licensing which beggars belief in terms of what was allowed to happen. As the Minister said, the process is not working for anyone. This community is not opposed to the development of oyster farming in the area, rather it is opposed to the scale of the proposed development without any proper consultation. The Minister's job is on occasion to say to the experts that he has a different political perception in terms of community involvement. The massive scale of development in Donegal on this site should have set alarm bells ringing for the Minister, even if the argument of the experts was to the effect that such developments have been always nodded through without an EIS. In this instance, the Minister should have stood up and said that was not in accordance with the new culture of consultation, openness and transparency in terms of protecting the environment. I do not know if the Minister has ever flown into Carrickfinn or spent time there as it is a long way from north-west Cork. There is no other site that is more important culturally, environmentally or otherwise. At the very least, an EIS should be carried out and there should be proper consultation on this matter. Hopefully, as a result of this debate the appeals committee will see sense and start that process so that the community is brought on board and we protect our very precious environment.

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