Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance. It is ironic that we are debating a marine spatial plan immediately after debating planning legislation. Perhaps if we had taken these statements first, we would not have spent so much time debating the planning Bill. I welcome the decision to produce a national marine plan as such a plan will be very important.

I am a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, which met for three days in the past week. Yesterday, we had a meaningful debate on spatial planning. I raised with my counterparts from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales the importance of having a marine spatial plan. Many assembly members referred to collaboration between the Northern Ireland authorities and the authorities here. Collaboration is particularly important when one lives on an island. I am aware of the complexities of Northern Ireland politics and I know the Northern Ireland Assembly is not up and running. We must be mindful that we live on an island and that decisions affect the entire island, particularly the fishing community in the northern half of the country extending right up into Donegal. Discussions are needed on these issues. One of the features of the national planning framework is that it embraces the island of Ireland. Greater co-operation between the authorities in the North and South will be necessary. This does not need to be complex; just an understanding of what we are about and what we are trying to do.

I welcome the proposed introduction of a marine spatial plan for Ireland, which will act as a roadmap for future development. It will be the first time the country has had a marine spatial plan. It is important the plan is balanced and takes into account various views, specifically those of the people who work in the industry, including fisheries, tourism, transport, offshore renewable energy generation and oil and gas exploration. I live in the coastal town of Dún Laoghaire. Offshore exploration for gas conducted in the area beyond Dalkey Island was controversial and resulted in thousands of people attending public meetings. Offshore exploration is a sensitive matter, which is understandable. The public consultation highlighted the absence of a marine spatial plan.

The proposed marine spatial plan will be comprehensive and will refer to aquaculture, climate change, communities, health, culture, heritage, marine environment, biodiversity, transboundary issues and interactions with other jurisdictions. It will take a long time to address all these issues. We need to be mindful of seafood production, aquaculture, maritime transport and renewable energy. The marine area is highly diverse and I do not know how the Minister of State will deal with everything.

The Minister of State referred to Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework. Now that we have a national spatial plan for land-based planning, a marine spatial plan will be very important. The process of drawing up a marine spatial plan requires engagement and consultation with local communities and residents, public representative, regional authorities and executives. Their views must be taken into account.

I suggest that the Minister of State gives greater priority to the marine spatial plan on his Department's website. While some very good information is available on the website, it is hard to find. I suggest that he ask his officials to publish a piece about the plan on the website. I have read the information available on the website and I was very impressed with it. This information should be made more visible.

I ask the Minister of State to consider engaging with city and county councillors in the form of workshops. I often hear about the strategic planning committees, SPCs, in local authorities. I suggest the Minister of State write to the chairs of the planning SPCs in the 31 local authorities requesting that they make marine spatial planning a lead item on their agendas in due course in order that meaningful discussions take place on the issue. We have heard so much about local governance and devolving powers to local government. We now have an ideal opportunity to ask local authorities to facilitate in their county halls, which are public buildings that we own, meetings with officials and experts in the field. I would like to see more town hall meetings about issues. This issue is a good example of an area on which officials can engage in discussions with members of the public.

The fishing industry is concentrated in Donegal, the west and south. A large number of people are exercised about maritime activities, including marine leisure activities.

We need to discuss the policy on ports and the transfer of functions from port companies to local authorities, many of which are in a position to assume such responsibility. While they may be willing to do this work, they do not have adequate resources, funding or expertise to do so. In that regard, Dún Laoghaire Harbour, one of the best ports in Europe, springs to mind. Unfortunately, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, under port policy, assigned responsibility for the harbour to the local authority, which does not have the money or expertise to sustain or operate the port company.

I call for greater engagement on the plan. It is important that it is given a higher profile on the Department's website. I urge the Minister of State to start this process by arranging meetings and discussions. I do not doubt his commitment to this matter. It is important that we have a marine spatial plan. The key to success will be to have early engagement and consultation with all relevant sectors, from the fishing and aquaculture sector to leisure and sports interests. I wish the Minister of State the best of luck with the plan.