Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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285. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will establish an independent body to review and adjudicate on aquaculture licensing and the cost of this. [46309/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Food wise 2025 recommends that I commission an independent review of the existing aquaculture licensingsystem involving all key stakeholders, to identify the current shortcomingsand bottlenecks (legislative, resource and logistical), to report by early 2016and implement necessary changes to the aquaculture licensing system as amatter of priority.

Separately, my Department is presently making arrangements to publish a National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development. I consulted with stakeholders on a draft of the Plan earlier this year. Action number 22 of that Plan commits my Department to a review and revision of the aquaculture licence process, including the applicable legal framework.

I expect to initiate the proposed review of the aquaculture licensing system early in the new year and to report in the first half of 2016.