Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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494. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the proposed national strategy for aquaculture has not been made available to the public at the same time as the draft seafood development programme for the period 2014 to 2020, as required under European Union regulations. [22357/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There is no provision in EU regulations requiring simultaneous consultation on these two separate documents.

The new Seafood Development Operational Programme is being prepared in accordance with Regulation 508/2014 on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and Regulation 1303/2013 (Common Provisions Regulation). The final consultation on the draft Operational Programme ended on 1 May 2015 and I expect to bring a proposal to Government very shortly before submitting a document to the Commission for its consideration and adoption later in 2015.

My Department is preparing a new National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development and this is being prepared in accordance with a requirement of the Common Fisheries Policy (Regulation 1380/2013). I will be publishing a draft of the Plan and related draft Environmental Report and appropriate assessment for public consultation in the next few days, before bringing the Plan to Government for approval and submitting the Plan to the Commission later this year.

Under the EMFF Regulation, there are a number of ex-ante conditionalities which must be met at the date of submission to the Commission of the draft Operational Programme or alternatively be the subject of an action plan specifying the expected date of submission. These ex-ante conditionalities include the Fleet Annual report and the Aquaculture plan, both of which are requirements of the CFP.

While the Aquaculture Plan is separate and distinct from the Operational Programme, they cover some common ground in relation to investment needs in the aquaculture sector. The Operational Programme is broader in nature and identifies investment needs across the seafood sector. The Aquaculture Plan identifies investment needs for aquaculture but also addresses broader challenges facing the aquaculture sector, including regulatory aspects. To ensure consistency between the two separate documents in relation to aquaculture, the two share a common aquaculture SWOT analysis and propose the same financial supports, as all financial supports to aquaculture will be financed through the Operational Programme in any case.