Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I am not often in agreement with Senator O'Malley but I agree with most of what she said today. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, and his officials for this debate. I welcome the broad thrust of the Bill but, like Senator O'Malley, I am not sure that it goes far enough. It is an attempt to address very outdated legislation, going as far back as the Foreshore Act 1933. It is not before time, therefore, that these provisions were updated.

As a member of Waterford County Council for seven years, I found that the issue of foreshore licences tied up the business of many council meetings. The background was that the council had submitted an application to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for a sewage treatment scheme covering seven villages. The council was encouraged by the Department to band the seven villages together in order to make the scheme more efficient. Unfortunately, it was not foreseen when the application was made that the foreshore licensing issue would hold up the entire process not only for the two or three villages that required those licences but in respect of all seven villages. I joined the council in 1999 and some of those sewerage schemes have still not been delivered mainly because of the bureaucracy surrounding the processing of foreshore licences. Council officials were tearing their hair out and councillors could not understand why there was such toing and froing between the various Departments without any progress being made. That is very frustrating when one is trying to deliver essential infrastructure that will also improve the environment.

Will the Minister of State consider, by amendment or otherwise, imposing some type of timeframe on the issuing of foreshore licences? This might be similar to a planning process whereby there would be time limits not only for applicants but also for those who are vetting the applications within Departments such that they must get back to local authorities with a definitive response within a reasonable timeframe. Such a requirement would alleviate much of the excessive delays and frustration in the issuing of licences. It is illogical and nonsensical that entire projects have been held up in this manner. Along with a timeframe provision, will the Minister of State also consider an accountability measure that would allow applicants and any interested bodies or stakeholders to track the licensing process in order to ascertain exactly where they stand?

Like Senator O'Malley, I am a member of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. I have learned much from the delegates who have attended meetings of that committee who are genuinely interested in investing in renewable technologies. They are tearing their hair out in seeking to progress their initiatives because of the lack of clarity around the licensing issue. The bottom line is that unless there is clarity and defined direction from Government, investors will not commit to renewable projects. As an island nation with huge submarine landbanks under our jurisdiction, we have substantial natural resources to exploit. I agree with Senator O'Malley that those resources must be exploited now and not in ten years' time. We must be ahead of the curve in getting entrepreneurs and investors in the area of renewable energy into the Irish market so that they will create jobs and establish energy channels that are sustainable and renewable. Unfortunately, our bureaucratic system does not allow for that to happen in an efficient and clear manner. I am hopeful the Bill will go some distance in addressing these frustrations but I am not sure it will go the entire way. As Senator O'Malley said, this was one of the first occasions on which a joint committee presented a Bill relating to these issues as it sought to clarify the foreshore licensing regime and provide a more efficient model to process applications.

I fully accept environmental impact assessments should be conducted and every stakeholder should have a say but applications should not be held up because civil servants do not understand who is responsible for what or they are left sitting in Departments for years. This was a huge missed opportunity for investment in the State and the development of foreshore licensing. It is the job of government to manage our coastal zones and the foreshore. Surely an efficient and effective system can be put in place in order that when people make applications, they can receive prompt responses, whether they are positive or negative. At least the applicants and other investors would then know where they stood. It is important that the Minister of State and his officials listen to Senators who are making this case. That is what we heard from industry representatives at committee hearings. Will the Minister of State contemplate tabling amendments to make the foreshore licensing application process more efficient and accountable and to provide for definitive timeframes?

It would be remiss of me not to mention our visit to the Marine Institute in Oranmore, County Galway. This State agency does tremendous work in the field of marine research. It is available to the Minister to deal with coastal management, marine planning and foreshore licensing. Institutions such as this should be exploited to the full to promote Government initiatives to assist the private sector and investors in this area.

It is essential that all legislation in this area is modernised. It is a pity that more provisions in the joint committee's Bill are not included in this legislation. Perhaps there will be further opportunities for this to happen in the near future. I appeal to the Minister of State to ask his ministerial colleagues to listen to the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. It is a cross-party committee with genuine concerns and is trying to proactively engage with State agencies and the Government to encourage investment in this area and improve the lot of the State.

I call on the Minister of State to introduce deadlines for the processing of licence applications in order that applicants, industry representatives and local authorities know where they stand. The current regime is open-ended. Applicants have no idea when projects will be delivered. That is not good for the delivery of vital infrastructure such as wastewater treatment systems which are vital to every town and village or for investors, given that investment is badly needed in the renewable energy sector to fully exploit and capture the potential of our natural marine resources.