Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will speak on the marine area in which I know the Cathaoirleach is very interested. This morning I read about the stranding of sperm whales off the west coast. I spoke to Dr. Simon Berrow from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. He and two other scientists will go to Sligo today to take tissue samples from the sperm whale. It is quite unusual to have this number of strandings of the largest toothed whale species in the world off the west coast of Ireland in such a short space of time. Dr. Berrow is working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and the local authority on the issue. They will support him to take the samples.

It raises a number of questions for me. I wonder about the health of our oceans. Why are these huge mammals ending up in such numbers on the Irish coast? In recent weeks 1,100 dead dolphins have washed up on the coast of France which is also of great concern. What impact is sonic testing as part of oil and gas exploration in our marine environment having on these species? I have spoken in the House a number of times about the impact sonic testing has on the food chain and particularly on the zooplankton which is the base species for the different marine creatures up the food chain.

I ask the Leader to seek this information for me. Where is the Government's oceans Bill? It was promised by the Tánaiste when he was Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine in April 2016 and there is no sign of it. We have not heard about it in the House for many months. Will the oceans Bill include a comprehensive plan for an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas, MPAs, as outlined in my motion that was debated in the House almost a year ago? We are obliged by European law to have marine protected areas designated. Descriptor 11 in Annex 1 of the EU marine strategy framework directive covers ocean energy and noise, meaning that in order for our waters to be considered in good environmental status "Introduction of energy, including underwater noise, is at levels that do not adversely affect the marine environment."

Can we honestly say this is the case in our country? Can we say that the offshore gas and oil exploration is inherently compatible with the commitments we should have to protect our seas and ocean? Are we making a mockery of our commitments under the Paris climate agreement because this all relates to climate change? I would like answers to these questions. I do not ask for a Minister to come to the House because, to be honest, I do not know which Minister to ask to come. These questions fall across so many Ministers in different Departments. I just seek answers to my questions to give me some kind of lead as to where to go next.