Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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286. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of submissions received by his Department from the public in relation to a foreshore lease application (details supplied) for Galway Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5986/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department received 555 public submissions during the public consultation period for the application in question. Details of the public notice, the public submissions and the applicant’s response to the public submissions can be viewed on my Department’s website at the following weblink: .

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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287. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if public consent to grant a foreshore lease application (details supplied) for Galway Bay has been conveyed to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5987/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with Foreshore legislation, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government is the Minister with responsibility for making the decision on this application. A decision will only be made following the careful examination and consideration of the application and supporting documentation and all views/comments received including those of the prescribed bodies and the public.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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288. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the names of persons on the MVLC for the foreshore licence application (details supplied) for the installation of cables in Galway Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5988/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The MLVC Report for the application in question was completed by one of my Department’s Water Services Advisers. A copy of the report can be viewed on my Department’s website at the following weblink: .

The nature and scale of the proposed works did not require the convening of the full MLVC.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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289. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the relationship between the foreshore lease application (details supplied) currently under consideration and the foreshore licence granted for the installation of cables on Galway Bay in 2015. [5989/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Marine Institute operated a Marine and Renewable Energy Test Facility at Spiddal in Galway Bay since 2006 under lease number FS004904. This test facility operated for approximately 9 years on an independent basis. A further lease application has been made (FS006566) in relation to a proposed new test site.

In 2013, in order to improve the environmental monitoring in the area, the Marine Institute applied for a licence to install a fibre optic cable in Galway Bay. The Galway Bay Cable, which is funded through Science Foundation Ireland, was licensed (FS 005751) in 2015 for a period of 35 years and operates as a stand-alone project to support marine research and environmental monitoring.

While the cable and the ocean energy test site are independent of each other, in order to realise the opportunity for increased functionality, the cable end equipment (the cable component sharing space with the test site) has been included in foreshore lease application FS006566 and is referred to in Section 4.3.2.2 of the accompanying Environmental Report. This will allow ocean energy converters to be connected during specific testing phases and other marine technologies and componentry to be tested and evaluated.