Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am afraid I will have to ask the Minister of State to give a further reply. His response is not accurate in the sense that this amendment does not preclude the addition of further measures. I note that it is quite specific in stating "shall include at least the following". It does not close the list and it is very clear. I was not going to belabour it, but the amendment sets out Fáilte Ireland, the Marine Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Heritage Council, An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, Inland Fisheries and "such other bodies concerned with environmental protection as the Minister considers should be included". Even that is not exclusive. This is not a closed list. I have to ask that we are accurate. The amendments do what they can, and I know we will disagree at points, but it does matter.

I am a little concerned by the phrase "old-fashioned". We have established bodies with significant expertise and years of experience that have done incredible work, in many cases, long before there was proper acknowledgement of marine-related issues. It is a little loose to say that we may provide regulation. Certain voices need to be heard. That is reasonable. Are we saying that it should be left to see whether bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Marine Institute and the Heritage Council are included? Under the sections in this Bill, these bodies are not prescribed for the issuing of MARA licences. The list of prescribed bodies to be considered in decisions by An Bord Pleanála has not been updated to reflect some of the marine context. There is bit of a parallel process here so it is important that there is belt and braces on that.

There are other organisations, such as the National Inshore Fishermen's Association - other people may address those and other actors - but I will be very clear for the record that this is not a closed list. It is a list naming very credible actors with long track records that should be consulted with. The amendment leaves it wide open for the Minister of State to add in any other such modern and contemporary, and not old-fashioned, bodies that may wish to be added. I am sorry to push back on this but it is important. These are the voices that have led the way on this issue and theirs is the expertise that I certainly want to know will be consulted.