Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of licence applications awaiting decisions for new and renewals of aquaculture licences; the duration that this backlog has been accruing; if he will indicate over the last 10 years the number of applications that were made each year and the number of decisions that were issued on foot on those applications each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38829/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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At present there are 626 aquaculture licence applications awaiting determination.

The backlog has developed over a period of approximately eight years and largely arises because the majority of areas for which aquaculture licences are sought are located in areas designated as Special Areas of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive and/or Special Protection Areas under the EU Birds Directive (known as ‘Natura areas’). In 2007, the European Court of Justice issued a judgement against Ireland for a breach of the Birds Directive which is indicative of the seriousness of this issue and the need for full compliance with the relevant Directives.

To ensure compliance with the Birds and Habitats Directives, all applications in ‘Natura 2000 areas’ are required to be appropriately assessed. This has required the putting in place of a significant work programme which has considerable time and resource implications. An additional factor is that all aquaculture applications now undergo Environmental Impact pre-screening assessment which requires significant input from the Department’s scientific and technical advisors.

My Department, in conjunction with the Marine Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, is engaged in a comprehensive programme to gather the necessary baseline data appropriate to the conservation objectives of ‘Natura 2000’ areas. This data collection programme is substantially complete. Analysis of the data, together with the setting of appropriate conservation objectives by the NPWS, will enable all new, renewal and review applications to be appropriately assessed for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. This work represents a significant financial, administrative and scientific investment by the State in resolving this issue. The Appropriate Assessment of aquaculture applications is being dealt with on a bay-by-bay basis.

The number of applications received by my Department over the last ten years is set out in the table below:

My Department continues to make every effort to expedite the determination of all aquaculture applications having regard to the complexities of each case and the need to comply fully with all national and EU legislation. My Department and the relevant agencies are working to an agreed co-ordinated plan to address the licencing backlog and I expect that licence determinations in full compliance with the requirements of the Natura directives will commence later this year.