Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 355: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when an application (details supplied) which was applied under the aquaculture licence under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 and for a foreshore licence under the Foreshore Act 1993 will be processed and granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18292/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Aquaculture licensing is regulated under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 and a companion foreshore licence is issued under the Foreshore Act 1933 where aquaculture sites are located in coastal sites below the high water mark. The applications in question are at a very advanced stage of processing. It is important that I place the timeframe for aquaculture licensing in context. The licensing procedure is lengthy and complex, involving a range of intermediate measures before a recommendation and decision can be made in any one case. I should also point out that the process has become considerably more complex since the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 was enacted, due to increased activity and demands in the coastal zone and the consequent need to take an ever greater account of the:

the potential impacts on safety and navigation,

the ecological impacts on wild fisheries, natural habitats, flora and fauna,

the suitability of the waters,

the other beneficial uses of the place or waters,

the likely effects on the economy of the area, and

the statutory status under European legal frameworks of the area under application.

I expect my Department to be in a position to make a determination on the applications referred to by the Deputy in the very near future.