Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State mentioned that an EIS is required for finfish, and the Department can carry out a screening for shellfish. The Department waived the requirement for an EIS in this application, which 3,200 people in the community expressed concern about. I am not sure if the Minister of State is familiar with the community, and I know he is still new to the Department. I am not sure if the Minister, Deputy Michael Creed, before he issued the ministerial direction which waived the requirement for an EIS to be carried out on that large-scale development, ever set foot in that part of our country. If he stood on the bridge on the way to Cruit and looked at where the trestles would go on and on, he would not have put pen to paper. If he stood in Ranafast, in Rann na Mónagh, in Annagry and Carrickfinn and looked out at the bay at what 99 acres of aquaculture would look like, and then thought about the Wild Atlantic Way, the tourism, the culture and the beauty of that area, he would not have put pen to paper. It has given the inspiration for so many of our literary works, which are studied by our children at school, and music which is enjoyed by people not only the length and breadth of this island, but also further afield. That natural environment is where people and artists draw their inspiration from. He would never have put pen to paper to waive this requirement if he had looked at the area.

The Minister's own review has shown that the process is flawed. I and my party, including our local councillors, Ms Marie Therese Gallagher and Mr. John Sheamuis O’Fearraigh, put together a serious submission to that review. Thankfully, certain parts of it have been upheld. This process is flawed. It is taking too long to make determinations. We want two things. We want the Government to fix the process, to speed up the level of determination, and we want it to ensure that those communities will not be scarred indefinitely as a result of an aquaculture licence which is too large in scale and in nature.

I support many communities and many small entrepreneurs in securing aquaculture licences. I believe that oyster farming is a good thing in size and scale. These applications are way out of the norm and should be refused.

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