Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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517. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he attended a meeting earlier this year with a group (details supplied) in regard to fish farms; if he will make available the minutes and records of this meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34715/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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On 30^thJanuary I met with representatives of the company referred to by the Deputy. The meeting was chaired by an Taoiseach.Officials from the Department of the Taoiseach and my Department were also in attendance. The meeting was held at the request of the company to discuss licensing and industry development issues associated with the company’s operations in Ireland. As is appropriate, it was explained from the outset that specific applications which the company submitted to my Department for consideration could not be discussed in detail in view of the statutory basis of the assessment process.

There is always a strict separation between my Ministerial role as decision maker in respect of aquaculture licence applications and my Ministerial duty to promote the sustainable development of the industry. This separation of duties is always strictly observed.

I will be glad to forward my Department’s report of the meeting to the Deputy as soon as possible.

I had a separate meeting in March of this year with the Chief Executive of Marine Harvest Ireland en marge of the North Atlantic Seafood Forum, in Bergen, Norway. I will also forward the record of that meeting to the Deputy.