Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. This is an important issue, so we must ensure that everyone works together in progressing future offshore opportunities and that all considerations are taken into account. Commercial sea fishing and aquaculture activities are long-standing, pre-existing and traditional activities in the marine environment. The Deputy will agree that our seafood resources are an important national economic asset that generate a great benefit to the economy of €1.3 billion every year, with approximately 15,000 jobs created as a result.

In July 2021, the Government published the national marine planning framework, which was our first national framework for managing marine activities. The framework outlines the vision of how we want to use, protect and enjoy our seas in the years up to 2040 and is underpinned by the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. The Government introduced these two important instruments to set out how Ireland would move forward in the development of new and emerging uses of maritime space in a way that acknowledged and considered existing blue economy activities, a crucial part of which is seafood production.

Any proposals for marine spatial plans that may arise from the Maritime Area Planning Act must be consistent with the national marine planning framework. The Act allows for the preparation of designated maritime area plans, DMAPs, for specific purposes and I am aware that the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications intends to prepare such DMAPs for offshore renewable energy. In fact, this plan-led approach to the future development of offshore renewable energy is essential for an orderly and stable transition to the new ocean economy activity and has been welcomed within the fishing industry in preference to the proliferation of exploratory development sites that has been taking place.

Together with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, I welcomed the establishment of the seafood-offshore renewable energy working group, which is chaired by Captain Robert McCabe. I understand that protocols on communication are soon to be published by the group.

The Deputy also asked about marine protected areas. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has not yet published the Bill that will set out the process by which these are to be developed. I am confident the Bill will reflect strong inclusive principles and the observations provided by the fisheries representative bodies during pre-legislative scrutiny.

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