Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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557. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reasons why in a Ministerial determination relating to EIS requirements for an aquaculture licence application in County Donegal (details supplied), it has been determined that an EIS is not required with respect to the application; if consideration was given to the fact that the area to which the application relates is located within a special area of conservation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28666/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Applications for aquaculture licences are considered by my Department in accordance with the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act and the 1933 Foreshore Act and applicable EU legislation.

The licence application referred to is in respect of sites located in an area which is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive. All applications in such sites are required to be appropriately assessed for the purpose of environmental compliance with the relevant legislation. The Appropriate Assessment of this area has been completed and is available on my Department's website www.agriculture.gov.ie.

There is a separate obligation on my Department to determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required. As part of this process the application referred to has been screened by my Department to determine whether a full EIS is required. My determination in that regard is also available on my Department's website.

The overall assessment process for aquaculture licence applications includes a period of statutory and public consultation. This is currently underway in the case of this application and the relevant Public Notice appeared in the 'Donegal Democrat' of 19 September.

As the licence application remains under active consideration by my Department as part of a statutory process it would not be appropriate to comment further.