Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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264. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the person or body that is the designated authority dealing with the EIA and SEA directive for offshore energy projects here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8469/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department is the competent authority with responsibility for transposing both the EIA and SEA directives. In respect of SEA, there are five designated statutory environmental authorities in Ireland which are my Department, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The policy regarding offshore renewable energy facilities is set out in the Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP), published by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment in April 2014, which was subject to an SEA.

My Department is also a competent authority under the EIA Directive in respect of applications for development on the foreshore falling under Part XV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. In addition Section 13 (A) of the Foreshore Act provides that proposed development on the foreshore is subject to environmental impact assessment in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive. EIA screening is undertaken during the processing of such applications with an EIS being required in such cases where it is deemed appropriate.