Tony Mulcahy (Fine Gael)

This is the first time I have spoken in the House and, like my colleagues, I am very glad to be here. I intend to raise various issues.

Over the weekend an advertisement appeared in the local media on the designation of a bird sanctuary on the Shannon Estuary covering the coastline of counties Clare, Limerick and Kerry, nearly 100 miles in total. Shannon Airport is in this area and it is hoped to develop a humanitarian aid and cargo hub. There has also been zoning for substantial wind farms along that coastline. I refer also to the issue of the gas project raised in the House recently by Senator Ned O'Sullivan, as well as the deep water ports of Foynes and Limerick. There are also deep water facilities in Kildysart in west Clare which have been zoned. This means the Shannon Estuary can accommodate the biggest cargo ships in the world. This is, therefore, a matter of the utmost importance to the region. I ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, to come to the House to explain what the impact of the decision taken will be on the future development of the region. We have done a lot of work which is of critical importance to the country's economic recovery. Therefore, I would like the Minister to expand on the decision made. Placing an advertisement in the newspapers outlining the intention to designate a bird sanctuary and asking for submissions is not the way to inform people of such decisions. We need an explanation of how the decision taken will impact on the future development of the three counties mentioned, the region as a whole and the country.