Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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21. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when he will be in a position to designate marine protection areas as required under Article 13.4 of the marine strategy framework directive; if legislation is necessary in the first instance; if so, when that will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18475/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland intends to institute a network of Marine Protected Areas within our maritime area to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems and biodiversity as required by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This network will incorporate existing and future maritime special areas of conservation established under the Habitats Directive and special protection areas designated under the Birds Directive for which my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is responsible in the first instance. It will also incorporate specific marine protected areas created under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). These will be agreed at a regional level and may be located either fully or partially in Ireland’s marine jurisdiction. My Department will be working with my colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and other member states in our CFP region to designate marine protected areas of this type.

While many such areas can be, and have been, established under existing legislation, there may also be a requirement for other types of marine protected area which do not readily fall within the ambit of existing statutes. These would require new enabling provisions in legislation. It is my intention to introduce such legislation at the earliest opportunity, within the context of the Government’s overall legislative priorities. This legislation will also formally identify special areas of conservation or protection under the Habitats and Birds Directives or under the CFP as Marine Protected Areas for the purposes of the MSFD.

In tandem with this, we need to identify what additional marine protected areas are required including what form they should take, where they should be located, and whether they should be local to Irish waters or transboundary in nature.

Identifying marine protected areas and developing the necessary legislation will require consultation with other relevant Government Departments and State agencies as well as other key stakeholders. These stakeholders include other EU member States, external scientific experts, NGOs and those who use the marine environment as appropriate. This process will also work in tandem with the development of any maritime spatial plans under the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, for which my Department is also responsible.