Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

To delete all words after “That Seanad Eireann:” and substitute the following:

acknowledges: - that the Irish coastal and marine environment has a high natural capital and provide valuable services for all parts of the country and economy, including in the areas of tourism, heritage and cultural amenity, transportation and communications, food production, education and research, flood protection, climate regulation, nutrient absorption and energy;

- that, globally, the oceans are facing increased pressures, generated by the combined impacts of human activities and the effects of climate change;

- that Ireland, in co-operation with the European Union and other European countries within the framework of the OSPAR Convention, is committed to ensuring the protection and conservation of the marine environment and the sustainable use of its resources;

- that Ireland is committed to an ecosystem-based approach to the sound management of the marine environment and recognises that marine ecosystems, species and habitats are largely transboundary in nature, thus making regional and cross-sectoral co-operation essential for effective management;

- that Ireland has one of the largest marine areas in the EU and thus has a vital role to play in ensuring the protection and conservation of parts of the marine environment adversely affected by human activity;

- that in the period from 2010 to 2016, Ireland, as a contracting party to the OSPAR Convention, ensured that in the north-east Atlantic the number of marine protected areas expanded from 159 to 448 and that 16.7% of all territorial waters were protected - as of 2016, 7.6% of the Celtic seas were covered by marine protected areas and this number continues to increase;

- that much of the focus of marine protected areas is on ensuring species and habitats are afforded protection from human activity at vital life stages - many of the protection sites are located within coastal habitats and river estuaries and 16.7% of all Atlantic territorial waters are now protected;

- that Ireland aims for an ecologically coherent and well managed network of area based management tools, including MPAs - this involves cross-sectoral management and ongoing research to understand what constitutes coherence and connectivity for different types of species and habitats; and

- that in meeting our responsibilities, Ireland uses the best available scientific evidence as the basis for making decisions, along with other relevant criteria, including adherence to the precautionary principle; notes: - that the Government has made integrated land and maritime planning a priority of Project 2040 in order to realise our island and marine potential and will develop a marine plan for Ireland;

- that Ireland has made significant steps in meeting its UN Convention on Biological Diversity target 11 for the conservation of at least 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020;

- the Irish Wildlife Trust report 2018 highlights that up to 48 species are under various levels of pressure - this has been previously recognised by Ireland in the agreement of the OSPAR list of threatened and declining species and habitats and the extensive list of actions that go with this list; Ireland is implementing the actions outlined in the recommendations of the OSPAR list and the implementation of the EU natura directives also ensures this issue is addressed;

- that with regard to seismic surveying in Irish waters, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has developed detailed and clear guidance on the background to, and the assessment and management of risk to, affected species from this activity - this is in order to ensure best environmental practice continues to be adopted, that human activities are sustainable and that populations of conserved species are protected from disturbance or other potential detrimental effects of underwater sound;

- that establishing the cause of death in a stranded cetacean is a complex matter and a programme of post-mortems on stranded small cetaceans is under way to investigate the issue further; and

- that the marine co-ordination group will continue its work of supervision, cross-Government delivery and implementation of Ireland's integrated marine plan, Harnessing our Ocean Wealth; and reaffirms: - that the Government will bring forward legislation for the designation and protection of marine protected areas, MPAs, with the aim of delivering an ecologically coherent, connected and well managed network of MPAs and that this work must, by the nature of marine ecosystems, be transboundary in nature;

- that this work and other area based management tools must be based on the ecosystem approach and on agreed national, regional and international evidence-based processes and will be underpinned by appropriate legislation;

- that to achieve this objective, Ireland will continue to work with the other countries of the north-east Atlantic through the OSPAR Convention, the European Union and other relevant intergovernmental arrangements;

- that the legislation and process of the identification of potential MPAs will provide for robust scientific information on habitats, species, heritage sites and geological-geomorphological features, and public participation and consultation;

- that Ireland will continue its progress towards meeting our obligations to achieve good environmental status in our seas under the EU marine strategy framework directive, MSFD, by 2020;

- the commitment to ongoing work in developing a marine plan for Ireland as set out in the recently published document, Towards a Marine Spatial Plan for Ireland;

- Ireland's commitment to concerted multilateral action to tackle climate change through the Paris Agreement;

- A Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to chart a course towards achieving a low carbon and climate resilient future by 2050 - known as the 'national transition objective';

- that Ireland's first national mitigation plan sets out this Government's collective approach to reducing Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions;

- that the Common Fisheries Policy continues to allow for the incorporation of MPAs within Irish waters and that quota distribution continues to conform with the requirements set down in the Common Fisheries Policy; and

- that Government will, in line with its established policy position, bring forward, by end-July 2018, the general scheme of a Bill to implement a ban on microbeads in wash-off personal care products and cleaning and scouring agents, with the aim of publishing a final Bill later in the year and securing, with Oireachtas co-operation, enactment by year-end.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. I also welcome my party colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English. I agree with the general thrust of Senator Grace O'Sullivan's motion and commend her for providing a briefing on it for Members of the Oireachtas. I acknowledge her work on this issue which represents very welcome engagement on her part. I also acknowledge her background in and deep passion for biodiversity and protecting the environment, including the oceans. Like her, I come from County Waterford, a coastal county that has long associations with the marine sector. It is in all of our interests that policy makers and citizens work to protect marine biodiversity and ensure the oceans, rivers and lakes are as clean and sustainable as possible. We must also work to ensure the countless species living in these environments are sustained. We must implement conservation practices that are practical and effective in protecting marine life. We must be vigilant and guard against any complacency when it comes to damage to the marine environment. This is especially important in the context of the potential extinction of species and the various threats to which Senator Grace O'Sullivan and others have referred in terms of how society engages with the marine.

The Senator's party has introduced legislation on microbeads and plastics, on which work is being done by the Government. I welcome the progress being made in that regard and the various initiatives being taken by the Government in engaging with all stakeholders to make sure we will have a cleaner environment in the seas, estuaries, rivers and lakes. I also compliment RTÉ on its recent documentary, "Ireland's Deep Atlantic", which was a wonderful example of public service broadcasting. The programme gave a great insight into life below the waterline. I commend the cameraman Mr. Ken O'Sullivan and all those involved in bringing amazing footage into living rooms all over the country. The programme makers filmed the species living in and the cold water coral reefs of the north Atlantic. The programme highlighted the biodiversity of the area and was very welcome in raising awareness and encouraging everyone to work towards creating a sustainable marine environment.

It must be acknowledged that the Government has made marine protection and conservation priorities under Project Ireland 2040. We are obliged under the marine strategy framework directive to ensure the various cycles in achieving conservation and protection of the marine environment are upheld. Ireland is already very active in this area and has completed one comprehensive cycle in achieving its objectives under the directive. The Government has also committed to the preparation of relevant legislation. Will the Minister of State provide a timeline for that legislation to assure Members that we are serious about protecting the marine environment? Every Member of the House will have an opportunity to contribute to that legislation during the pre-legislative scrutiny stage which will provide us with an opportunity for more in-depth engagement on these issues.

While the Government agrees with the concept of designated marine protected areas, the motion put before the House by the Green Party does not involve the stakeholder engagement and consultation necessary ahead of such important legislation. The Government fully supports the development of a diverse but coherent network of marine protected areas and has committed to introducing legislation to provide for same. Its position cannot be any clearer.

The motion does not deal solely with marine protected areas. It also seeks Government agreement to a number of fundamental changes to policy which would need wide consultation and also the support of a majority in the Houses. I ask the Green Party to consider carefully what I am about to say. If the motion, as tabled, is accepted, it will mean a moratorium on the granting by the Government of all licences for deep sea mining and fossil fuel exploration in protected Irish waters. Importantly, from the perspective of those of us who come from fishing counties, it will mean changes to the quota system as set out in the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP. It will involve Ireland taking unilateral action which would not be in keeping with our membership of the European Union and the fact that the CFP is based on agreement between member states. Strong and deep negotiations involving all stakeholders, including fishing communities, would be needed in that respect. The CFP is no different from the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and it would be remiss of us to change it unilaterally or try to change it without engaging with all stakeholders.Acceptance of the motion will also mean a major reorganisation of the way in which the Government manages marine matters, moving from supervisory, cross-government delivery and implementation by the marine co-ordination group to a single Department structure.

It is clear that the Green Party's motion is not in line with Government policy in these areas. Specifically, regarding changes to the operation of the quota system of the CFP, it is not within the remit of the Government to unilaterally make changes to the quota distribution rules set out in the CFP, as I am sure the Green Party and other Members of the House are fully aware. I say to the Fianna Fáil Party that it is important to acknowledge the strong and deep negotiations that have taken place with our European partners on the CFP. It is not something from which we can move away lightly. Despite the genuine concerns underpinning the motion, we cannot readily dispose of those agreements and negotiations and I caution against doing so. It is for these reasons that the Government cannot agree to the motion proposed by the Green Party. I urge all Senators to support the Government's amendment which sets out the commitments to introduce legislation in the coming months. It also sets out the Government's agreement with the concept of marine protected areas as outlined in the motion. However, we must complete work on the necessary legislation which will include a prohibition on microbeads which all Members accept is a very positive step forward.

The main point of the motion is that the Green Party wants the Government to introduce legislation to designate 50% of Ireland's territorial waters as a marine protected area. This would, in effect, designate an area five times the size of the island of Ireland as a marine protected area. However, the motion does not envisage a consultation process with the stakeholders who would be affected by such a decision. That is critical. There is no mention of a regulatory impact analysis to examine whether this would be the right policy to adopt. We need deeper engagement on this issue and the forthcoming legislation will give us that opportunity. It will afford every Member of the Houses an opportunity in the pre-legislative scrutiny phase to express their concerns and put forward solutions to protect the marine environment. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response to the debate.