Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all those who made contributions in this valuable debate. Many aspects of the Bill were covered. I ask those who have not read the Bill in detail to do so and familiarise themselves with it, because it is the most comprehensive review of marine legislation that has been undertaken since the formation of our State. This is once-in-a-generation legislation and a true cross-government initiative, led by my Department and joined by colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Attorney General's Office and the wider marine legislation steering group. It clearly demonstrates that this Government is working together towards the agenda we have set out in our programme for Government.

The marine planning system we propose is designed to work for all types of development, from the smallest boathouse to the largest offshore renewable energy project and protects our oceans through the rigorous environmental assessment of plans and projects. The four key pillars on which our planning system is to be based are clearly set out in this Bill. With regard to forward planning through the national marine planning framework and comprehensive subnational planning, those who say we are not putting the cart before the horse when we published the framework can now see the logic to all this legislation. Some 21 of the 92 statutory planning policies set out in the plan relate to the protection of our marine environment. All future subnational plans and any decision made by An Bord Pleanála or local authorities must be in line with these policies. It is the plan in plan-led and not just empty rhetoric.

The creation of MARA shows how ambitious we are on this reform. These will no longer be myriad actors and agencies operating in the maritime area. We are, in anticipation of the enactment of this legislation, undertaking some of the preparatory to begin the establishment of MARA, as soon as permitted by the passage of this legislation. The consenting and development proposals by the board and local authorities are provided for in a way with which the public is familiar. There are no surprises here. People know how it works and they know how they can interact with the process. The experts will examine the merits of projects and will balance their impacts against environmental factors. We will not make such decisions in this Chamber. To ensure all of this happens in a rigorous and robust regulatory environment, we have set out that it will be an offence to operate outside the regimes we are creating and that MARA and local authorities will have the full weight of the law behind them when pursuing these offences.

Two main themes have emerged in the debate: participation and protection. Both have been central to the development of the marine planning system. Public participation statements will guide the development of forward plans. The statements set out, in detail, the practical details of public engagement; who will be consulted, when they will be consulted and the methods for consultation. The statements will include a range of participation mechanisms far beyond a simple single public consultation. They will be laid before the Houses to facilitate the participation of relevant Oireachtas committees.

On a project level, it is clearly stated in the Bill that the public will have its say in the planning permission process and that planning consent cannot be issued without public consultation. MARA will only make decisions based on frameworks and guidelines that have been subject to public consultation and scrutiny in these Houses. Schedule 5 clearly states that MARA will use the extent and nature of stakeholder engagement by a MAC applicant and assessment criteria. This is clear recognition of the nature of multi-user marine space.

The enactment of the legislation will afford a far greater level of environmental protection than exists. Forward plans and guidelines will always include robust protections for our environmental measures. Of course, there are complexities in this area. We may require some changes on Committee Stage and I am open to all reasonable amendments that are tabled within the overall scope of the Bill. We really want to make this work. Within the context of the overall package of marine governance reform, we are progressing the development of the legislation and marine protected areas, as indicated on the pre-legislative scrutiny stage. We concluded the first round of public consultation this summer on this crucial piece of the jigsaw.

The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I have listened to members and we look forward to working with everyone on Committee Stage. Let us remember why we are introducing this key legislation. We need to ensure we act as custodians of our environment and move to taking plan-led approaches to our interaction with the oceans; create a system that works for all, in a manner that is familiar and accessible to the citizen; meet our climate action goals in a way that does not undermine our environmental protection obligations; and lay the foundations for the long-term management of our maritime area through the creation of independent agencies that oversee this in a holistic fashion.

I look forward to working with Members on Committee Stage to further develop and improve this Bill, but as almost all Members have stated over the past two days, we need to do this in good time. We need to ensure MARA is up and running, appropriately capitalised and can fund itself to deliver the ambitious suite of services set out in the Bill. We need the planning and licensing systems operational as soon as possible to begin the process of consenting for the wide range of activities and developments envisaged. Most important, we need to make sure the object to place the citizen at the heart of this process is realised, as soon as possible.

I thank Members for their contributions and we have noted all the issues raised last night and this afternoon. I look forward to working with all Deputies, as we progress through Committee Stage.

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