Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, knows, I was born and reared in a coastal location, that is, the beautiful Rossbeigh beach in Glenbeigh, County Kerry, which forms part of Castlemaine Harbour, adjacent to Dingle Harbour, and includes places like Cromane, which is steeped in the history and culture of fishing. They are leaders in the art of aquaculture there. Companies in Cromane and many more throughout the country, including County Kerry, such as Dingle Seafood, Quinlan's in Cahersiveen and Kenmare and companies from Bantry Bay all the way up to the top of Donegal, supply their wares all over Ireland and different parts of Europe, including France, Italy, Holland, Spain and Germany. Exports also go to Asian countries, such as China, Hong Kong and Thailand, as well as the UK and the United States. They regularly feature on the podium of Bord Bia quality awards, showing how well regarded they are in the industry and by the accommodation and hospitality sector. Cromane mussels and oysters are famous not just here at home but all over the world.

It is the same for all our coastal communities throughout the land as the produce of the Irish aquaculture industry is much sought after by clients at home and abroad. We pride ourselves on the quality of what we produce, supply and export. We pride ourselves on the top-class companies we have. I am flabbergasted by even the thought that aquaculture licences for oysters, mussels and clams, and you could even include salmon as well, can take so long - for example, two, five, ten, 15 or anything up to 20 years. I would be very interested to know how such a scenario could come about. Is it a fault in the application system itself? Is it a computer error or deficiency? Is it a lack of manpower? I am very slow to ask, but is there a deficiency in the training of those who are assigned the task of passing judgment on these applications? Is there an unwillingness to grant more licences? This incredible waiting list is putting at risk businesses and livelihoods that are the lifeblood of our coastal communities. There must be a reason for the delay. Applicants absolutely need to know what chance their application has of succeeding and how long their business hopes and dreams may have to wait.

I have been raising this issue for many years as a member of Kerry County Council and, more recently, since I became a Member of Dáil Éireann. The Minister of State must agree that waiting up to 20 years to get the go-ahead for your businesses or for the local firm that will give you and your family members employment is totally unacceptable. We must find the reason this has happened in order that we can correct it and bring all the fine aquaculture operators on our Irish coastline, from Castletownbere to Killybegs, into the market without further delay. Young fishermen and fisherwomen can earn a decent living, build that family home, buy a car, live in their own communities and contribute to everyday life in historical fishing communities where there is no other form of employment. If, however, they have to wait years to have an aquaculture licence processed, they will bail out, many to foreign shores, never to return.

As the Minister of State is aware, I had a number of cases where fishermen and small companies submitted applications when their existing licences were due to expire. Grant aid was available to expand their businesses and they had shovel-ready projects. However, their applications were not processed on time and the projects fell by the wayside. These fishers - men and women - are very annoyed by the manner in which they have been treated by the Department. We must address these deficiencies, get our act together and get to the root of the problem. As I said, I have raised this issue numerous times. We simply must get it right.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. He has been in touch with me on a number of occasions to discuss the matter as it relates to operators in his constituency and further afield. I had an opportunity during the summer to visit Quinlan's Kerry Fish with the Deputy and see at first hand the implications of the issue.

As somebody new to the Department, I recognised from the first that there is a significant problem with licensing. I have undertaken a job of work to try to address this. It will take time but we are working our way through it. I know at first hand the positivity that exists in terms of Irish aquaculture and the demand for the product overseas. Just three weeks ago, I was in Qingdao in China with Irish fishermen, fisherwomen and processors promoting Irish seafood to the Asian market. There is a significant and growing demand, but it is incumbent the State to get the licensing aspect right. I have identified it as a priority and I am working my way through it. Insofar as I can, I will try to address the questions the Deputy asked.

By way of background, the Department considers all applications for aquaculture licences in accordance with the following legislation: the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997; SI 236, the Aquaculture (Licence Application) Regulations 1998; the Foreshore Act 1993, as amended; SI 477, the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011; a consolidated environmental impact assessment directive of 2014; and the Aarhus Convention. The criteria to which the licensing authority shall have regard in determining an aquaculture licence application are set out in section 61 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997. The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific advisers as well as various statutory consultees, as set out in the aquaculture regulations. The legislation also provides for a period of public consultation, the timing and length of which depends on the initial screening assessments carried out by the Department and the Marine Institute.

The current appropriate assessment process arose from a European Court of Justice case against Ireland in 2007 in which the court declared that by failing to take all the measures necessary to comply with the EU habitats directive in respect of authorisation of aquaculture programmes, Ireland had failed to fulfil its obligations under the directive. A backlog of aquaculture licence applications developed following the judgment. In the negotiations to address the judgment and enable aquaculture to continue in the Natura 2000 areas in the interim, a process was agreed with the European Commission and subsequently implemented. That process included data collection, the setting of conservation objectives by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, identifying the scientific interests to be protected in the bays, the carrying out of an appropriate assessment of the licence application against those scientific interests, and appropriate licensing, taking account of, among other factors, Natura 2000 requirements. This work involved multiple surveys being carried out by a range of contractors. Profiling of aquaculture activities was carried out for all the designated bays to define the likely interaction between such activities and the conservation features. All of this preliminary work to prepare the foundation for the consideration of the licence application process took place from 2009 onwards. Appropriate assessments started to become available from 2011, which allowed licensing to continue.

As the competent authority for aquaculture licensing, the Department is responsible for ensuring that all applications received are screened in the context of the birds and habitats directive. This work is undertaken by the Marine Institute and externally contracted ecological resources. The current policy in regard to shellfish applications is for the Marine Institute to also provide the Natura impact statements in respect of all applications received. This is a huge resource demand on the State. In addition, an application for a marine finfish licence must be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment report. The Department currently has 36 applications on hand for marine finfish aquaculture. Renewal applications are currently permitted to operate what is referred to as a section 19A (4) application.

A major delay in processing these applications was the requirement that they be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment report. Almost all the applicants concerned have now submitted finalised applications and environmental implementation reviews. A total of 14 applications have undergone a round of public and statutory consultation, with consultation expected to be held in respect of a number of further applications over the coming months. All applications and supporting documentation are made available on the Department's section of the gov.ie website as part of the consultation process. As the applications concerned are under consideration as part of a statutory process, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on individual applications.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the Minister of State's work in this area to date and the fact that he has prioritised the issue of delays relating to the processing of aquaculture licences. He is very much on top of his brief, as I know from dealing with companies and people involved in the industry throughout my county, especially, and, indeed, further afield. I talk to all those people. I know he will pursue this to a satisfactory conclusion but, as things stand, the situation is totally unsatisfactory. It is more than annoying, particularly for the families I referred to in coastal communities in my county and further afield. I am sure he will get to the bottom of it.

It is sad this has gone on for so long. I have mentioned An Cromán many times. It is probably the oldest fishing village in the whole of Ireland. It lost out on the fishing of wild salmon and all of that, with only a small element of that there today. This is hugely important. There are young people employed in the sector. They are contributing to their local communities, building houses, rearing families and contributing to every aspect of daily life. We want to keep them there and, as I keep saying, we want to keep rural Ireland alive. I will keep raising this hugely important matter until such time as it is addressed. I thank the Minister of State for his work. I put it on the record of the House that we are lucky to have him.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. He has raised a really important issue, which is that fishing is really about protecting and preserving our coastal communities through gainful employment by way of the natural resources available to those communities. The reality is that the scientific advice clearly indicates that wild stocks are being depleted for a multiplicity of reasons. These include overfishing by third countries, particularly Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland, of important pelagic stocks. Climate change is undoubtedly having an impact, with other aspects of the environment also having an impact.

We have an opportunity on the aquaculture side to do much more to protect and preserve livelihoods in these communities. I do not accept that we cannot do better in terms of the delivery of the licences. We must give certainty and security to the families who, in the main, operate these businesses. They have invested their hard-earned money and their blood, sweat and tears to get themselves to a certain point, only to find they cannot get their licence renewed. As the Deputy rightly noted, the section 19A(4) process allows them to continue but prevents them from getting the appropriate grants they need to advance their business. It is incumbent on us to get this right.

I have had quite a number of meetings. Last Thursday, I was at the Marine Institute trying to get to the bottom of what else we need to do. Additional resources have been provided and we have taken on extra head count. We are making progress but the progress made to date is not good enough. I have to take responsibility for that. I will continue to drive to get a better system in place with the structures that are there. I want to review the structures to see whether we can make changes, legitimately and legally, or whether it will be necessary to bring forward amending legislation and look at the overall structure of the way the licensing regime works in order to ensure it will be more fit for purpose and will deliver appropriately while also protecting and preserving the environment and ecology of areas and delivering for local communities.