Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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247. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that no conflict of interest exists for his Department and for Bord Iascaigh Mhara in the assessment of Bord Iascaigh Mhara's Galway Bay licence application, given that his Department’s fisheries division is responsible for both the governance of BIM and for the assessment of licence applications. [39042/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) for an aquaculture licence for the cultivation of finfish near Inis Oirr in Galway Bay was received by my Department in 2012.  The application and its accompanying Environmental Impact Statement are being considered under the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act and the 1933 Foreshore Act.

The assessment process will take full account of all national and EU legislative requirements and will reflect the full engineering, scientific, environmental, legal and public policy aspects of the application.

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 strictly observed.

As the application is under active consideration as part of the statutory process it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time.