Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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93. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set down the position regarding the licensing of bays for aquaculture around the coast; the number of bays that have already been licensed; the names of those bays; when the remaining bays will be licensed; the number of aquaculture licenses that are pending in his Department; the number of same that have been granted; his plans to develop the major potential of aquaculture around the coast here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1907/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Applications for licences in respect of aquaculture developments are assessed in accordance with the provisions of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 and the Foreshore Act 1933. The European Court of Justice declared in case C418/04 that, by failing to take all the measures necessary to comply with Article 6(3) of Directive 92/43 (Habitats Directive) in respect of the authorisation of aquaculture programmes, Ireland had failed to fulfil its obligations under that Directive.

In the negotiations to address the judgment a process was agreed with the European Commission which would lead to full compliance by Ireland with the relevant EU Directives.

My Department has been working closely with the Marine Institute, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to achieve full compliance with the relevant Directives through a multi-annual work programme. A key factor of this Work Programme is the identification of prioritised bays based on the number of aquaculture sites, the ready availability of scientific data and other factors.

Over 200 licences have been issued in the past three years in relation to bays, including Inner Bantry Bay, Roaringwater Bay, Killary Harbour and Castlemaine Harbour. There are in the region of 600 applications awaiting determination. The average timeframe for processing each particular application varies depending on location, species, scale and intensity of production, statutory status of sites, potential visual impact etc. Other factors include consideration of any submissions or observations raised during the public consultation period. It is anticipated that significant progress will be made in licensing bays in 2015. The list of bays is kept under continuous review by my Department so as to facilitate the use of scientific and other resources on a flexible basis across the full range of bays.

The development of the industry and the creation of long term employment from aquaculture can only take place if there is full compliance with the range of EU Directives which impact on this area and national legislation on environmental protection.

There is great potential for all types of aquaculture around our coast as set out in ‘Food Harvest 2020 – A Vision for Irish Agri-food and Fisheries’ and the steps outlined above, together with the work being done by Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Marine Institute, will result in the sustainable development of this important industry.