Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As an island nation, our seas and our ocean are crucial for Ireland, supporting our economy, international trade, our energy supply and communications systems, as well as our climate, environment, cultural traditions, heritage, health and wellbeing. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 sets the underpinning process for planning, consenting and regulation of certain maritime activities and ensures that all projects are carefully considered and subject to appropriate environmental assessment. To complement this, it is important that Ireland also has modern environmental legislation to establish appropriate area-based environmental protection.

The marine strategy framework directive provides a binding legal obligation to establish marine protected areas, MPAs. It stipulates that spatial protection measures, such as MPAs, shall be put in place to protect biodiversity as part of a national programmes of measures, to contribute to the achievement of good environmental status. The programme for Government in 2020 included a commitment to expand Ireland's MPA network to 10% of its maritime area as soon as is practical, aiming for 30% coverage by 2030. These commitments are in line with the EU biodiversity strategy and the OSPAR North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030.

Substantial progress has been made on drafting the marine protected areas Bill. Given its potential impact, both as environmental protection legislation and on marine stakeholders, it requires careful drafting, since it is a complex Bill, with ongoing legal advice required throughout the process. An initial comprehensive draft of the MPA Bill was produced in late May this year. However, some issues arose in the process of interdepartmental consultation which require further consideration. An agreement was reached with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to establish an interdepartmental drafting group to address the issues arising. This group worked over the summer period and further drafting instructions have been issued to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. I recognise that the office will need to consider these instructions carefully and it is not excluded that further points of clarification or questions will emerge.

I might as well be honest that it has been frustrating for both the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and me. We are grateful to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Office of the Attorney General. I intend to try to get this Bill published in the lifetime of this Government. I know many stakeholders are waiting for this to be published. I will come back in a supplementary reply on some of the additional work that is ongoing.

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