John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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122. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of shellfish aquaculture licences nationally and covering what amount of foreshore, in hectares, is in the possession of French oyster farmers; the mechanism and process under which he sanctions such trading in licences; the number of such licence trades that have occurred in the past ten years; the average price per hectare in 2013 and 2014 for licences which are traded; if he has any control over this value; if business plans or other bona fides are required from non-national companies who intend to exploit the nationally owned and regulated public foreshore; if there is any requirement on these companies to employ local persons to operate sites here; the surveillance required for the importation of live shellfish stocks into these sites; if non-national companies are eligible for grant aid from the Irish State under the rules of the European Fisheries Fund or the forthcoming European Maritime and Fisheries Fund; if licences may be traded if they are subject to section 19(4)a of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act; if licences which are under the protection of section 19(4)a and which have been transferred and paid for under contract between the licensee and third party are still valid and, if so, who is the licensee and who is liable for licence fees to the State as per the conditions of the individual licences; if the perception by the Irish industry is true that non-national companies are given preference over existing Irish oyster farmers in terms of processing licence or renewal applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26384/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under EU law there can be no discrimination on the grounds of nationality.

In practice, almost all aquaculture licences for oyster production have been granted to Irish registered companies or Irish operators.

My Department is examining its records and will revert to the Deputy if further information comes to light.