Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. He spoke about public consultation, which is important. Recently, Seal Rescue Ireland, which receives no State funding for its important work, released back into the wild seals who had been badly hurt in the ocean. During the release it spoke to schoolchildren about the importance of our oceans and marine life. That is an avenue the Minister of State needs to look at. He needs to talk to schools and children because they are part of our life.

There were in excess of 1,000 submissions to the national planning framework and the date was extended. We need to make sure that awareness is part of this process. I welcome that the Minister of State is looking for that because consultation will have a significant impact on this process.

It struck me that for an island nation we do not prioritise our ocean, beaches and marine life. We need to start immediately. The marine sector is a vital part of Ireland's economy. It provides key parts of our tourism and film industries, creates and sustains jobs, boosts small local economies and enriches our landscape. Protecting and maintaining the quality of our oceans is a pressing concern for the long-term health of our State and future generations. If the Minister of State will excuse the pun, we need to take our heads out of the sand on this.

Ireland has specific legally binding EU obligations in regard to achieving good environmental standards in our seas. The Government, however, has failed to implement the required steps effectively. Linked to this is the failure of a number of our beaches to pass Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, standards. Our tourism sector draws heavily from clean oceans that sustain our nation. Our marine life depends on our clean oceans.

The roll-out of marine protected areas as part of a broader oceans Act must be an integral part of the process of meeting those obligations. A well-resourced and single Department-led response is critical to the success of any strategy to tackle the serious challenges our oceans face. Ireland has failed in its European and international obligations to protect 10% of its marine waters under Article 13 of the MSFD, the Aichi biodiversity targets, the UN sustainable development goals and the OSPAR Convention.Ireland was declared a whale and dolphin sanctuary in 1991, yet the incidence of whales and dolphins becoming beached has increased by 350% over the past ten years. A report by the Irish Wildlife Trust published this year shows that 48 indigenous species face extinction. Fossil fuel exploration using seismic testing has regularly occurred in Irish waters since 2013 and severely impacts on all marine life in the areas in which it is conducted. The Government should adopt measures to tackle our unsustainable production of plastic waste and microbeads, an issue addressed in previous Private Members' legislation. Micro-plastics cause entirely unnecessary pollution and have a negative environmental impact. Studies have shown that they can be ingested by marine animals causing physical and reproductive harm and toxic effects. There is evidence to suggest that micro-plastics have entered the human food chain but, thankfully, not yet in sufficient quantities to pose a risk to human health. These are all areas the Minister must address.

We, in Fianna Fáil, support the actions proposed in the motion debated in the Seanad in May to strengthen Ireland's role in protecting our natural ocean resources for future generations. An oceans Act must be introduced providing for the protection of 50% of Ireland's seas and ocean through an ecologically coherent network of diverse and significant marine protected areas, MPAs. Such legislation should contain mechanisms to identify designated high-quality MPAs and ensure they are managed with respect for sustainable livelihoods and their ecologically coherence, as part of a European network. The legislation should establish a consultation process that involves all key stakeholders from the areas of fisheries, recreational fisheries, tourism, energy, conservation and other relevant sectors. We need to ensure that every one of these sectors plays its part in protecting our seas and oceans.

A major public awareness campaign is also needed. As I have stated previously, awareness is one of the issues we need to address. In 2018, it is unacceptable that we must call on the Department to raise awareness, whether through educational channels or a body established by the Minister for this purpose. We need to ensure that schools and all other relevant bodies are aware of what is happening because this issue concerns our future. We all live on this earth together and we must, therefore, help future generations by ensuring we pass on a healthy planet to them because they will inherit the consequences of whatever decisions we make today. This is a long-term issue that will have a major impact on our health and the way we live our lives. We must ensure that legislation and planning in this area are appropriate. I know that the Minister of State will work to achieve this and that it will be a long process. I urge him to make sure the relevant bodies are properly consulted and all of them have their say.