Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this critical debate, which follows on from our earlier discussion on the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016. As an island nation, it is important that we place a great deal of significance on our plans to sustain the resources of our surrounding marine environment. As the Minister of State has acknowledged, much of the groundwork in this regard was done in 2012, when the Government of the day clearly stated its policy objectives in the Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth plan, which outlined the need to develop a national marine spatial plan. Six years have passed since then, however, and the 2014 EU spatial planning directive now obliges Ireland to develop its own spatial plan. That is why earlier this evening, I welcomed the amendments to the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 that set out clearly the legislative framework for a new marine spatial plan for this country. The Seanad will have a further opportunity tomorrow to engage with and debate the benefits of that framework.

I have to say we have not stood idly by. I note the presence in the Chamber of my colleague from County Waterford, Senator Grace O'Sullivan, who has a track record as an activist in the marine environment. I sincerely acknowledge that she brings great experience to the House by virtue of her efforts and activism over many years in identifying the threats to our marine environment. It behoves us as a country to put in place protections in areas like micro-plastics, the sustainability of the ecosystem and the various species that exist in the marine area surrounding Ireland.

We need to acknowledge the work that has been done by the Government. Many parties in this House opposed the establishment of Irish Water, which has made great progress by installing sustainable wastewater treatment systems around the country. My own county of Waterford now has four blue flag beaches - two in Dunmore East, one in Tramore and one in Ardmore. We did not have them before now because Irish Water was not in place. Since its establishment, Irish Water has invested in modern wastewater treatment systems. We are no longer pumping raw sewage into our beaches and harbours. We are now pumping out water that has been treated in wastewater systems. There needs to be greater recognition of such advancements. It is often not popular to mention Irish Water, but I think we should talk on the public record about the great work it is doing around the country. I acknowledge the progress it is making in improving the water quality in tributaries, waterways and streams. It is important to mention that treated water is being pumped out into the marine environment that we want to protect.

When we discussed the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 earlier, the Minister of State mentioned that he was taking the first legislative steps towards a new marine spatial strategy for this country. Various Senators have spoken about the importance of engagement and consultation. I remind the Minister of State that the fisheries local action groups, or FLAGs, comprise an excellent development network right around the coastal communities of Ireland. Local community volunteers are running these FLAGs which receive grant assistance from the Government as local initiatives. I think this network would be a great starting point for engagement with coastal communities. Many of those involved in the FLAGs are fishermen or have made their livelihoods from the marine environment. They have learned a lot from the past.

When we are speaking about the marine environment, we need to acknowledge that some of the practices of the past are no longer sustainable. I watched a very interesting Irish documentary on the various species that exist in the Atlantic Ocean. The increased awareness that results from such programmes being watched in living rooms around the country is of assistance as we seek to engage with communities and citizens on the marine spatial strategy. Another documentary I watched showed how former whaling factories in Australia, which were previously used for activities that threatened the future of whales as a species, are now used as conservation centres where stories are told to educate communities and families about how whales can be sustained. I think the populations are building again.

It is important to put policy, legislation and regulations in place to protect the ecosystems in our marine environment. The wealth of resources in that environment is also important. There are species that can be fished in a sustainable way to meet people's eating needs. The energy potential of our marine environment is also relevant in this context. We know about the wave and tidal energy projects that have been piloted. I would love to see many of them being advanced as more commercial energy generation initiatives. There have been many objections to wind farms in local communities. I believe there is great potential for offshore wind farms that can be built in a sustainable way to harness wind energy and transport it back onto the grid system in our country. The marine spatial plan will allow for coherent and sustainable planning in a vast area. I think Ireland has the second largest marine spatial planning area in the EU. Portugal has the largest such area. We have almost 500,000 sq. km. of marine space around our island. It is right for us to plan for that space in a sustainable way.

I have spoken about engagement and consultation. I have mentioned the network of FLAGs. Our schools and educational institutes are a rich resource for engaging with communities. I believe various Government Departments have a responsibility in this regard. As I have said, we are all responsible for the ecosystems in the oceans and seas around us. I understand that the indepth knowledge which is required for marine planning is probably very new to many people. I presume people with expertise in the Marine Institute and other bodies will be involved in this process. When local authorities and regional assemblies engage in terrestrial planning or land planning, they can call on the vast wealth of experience that has been built up by planners. I understand there are experts on this relatively new area in the Marine Institute. The Minister of State might tell the House whether he plans to bring in experts to help us to plan for our marine environment in a sustainable way.

I would like to make a suggestion that does not relate directly to the marine spatial plan but relates to the protection of the environment. There are initiatives for collecting farm plastics in this country. People are incentivised to collect farm plastics so they can be disposed of in a responsible way. I believe there is room for another initiative, perhaps led by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, that would involve the collection of plastics from our harbours, rivers and ports. The Government should consider the introduction of a type of grant scheme or initiative to incentivise people to collect plastics from bodies of water and thereby improve the environment in such areas. Of course we need to come up with other policies to lessen the impact of plastics. Senator Grace O'Sullivan proposed the Micro-plastic and Micro-bead Pollution Prevention Bill 2016 to deal with types of plastic found in products used for washing. I agree that we need to ban such products.

There is so much we can do. It is an exciting time for Ireland because we are leading the way in the area of marine spatial planning. We have an abundance of species and natural resources around our island. We need to adapt to the opportunities that are presenting themselves in a sustainable manner that is in the longer-term interests of the species we have mentioned and the citizens of Ireland as well.