Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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427. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to outline the reason only nine working days have been granted from the date of public notification, 24 March 2017 to 6 April 2017, regarding a licence (details supplied) on Galway Bay; if this period meets his Department's regulations on timeframes for public observations to be made on foreshore licence applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19225/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A foreshore licence application was received in my Department in September 2016 to retain the existing linear acoustic telemetry array spanning Galway Bay for the purpose of studying marine migrations of salmonoids in the bay and the monitoring of marine animals tagged in other studies with a view to contributing to spatial planning and conservation management.

The details of this application were published in Irish and English in the Irish Examiner on 29th September 2016 and the Connaught Tribune on 30th September 2016. The application with supporting documents were  published on my Department's website and were made available for inspection at Mill Street Garda Station for a period of 21 working days. No submissions were received during this period.

In late February 2017 the applicant, having met with fishermen's representatives and reviewing the tracks taken by trawlers, advised that they considered it best to rotate the proposed location of the array slightly east from the middle point to avoid any potential contact by fishermen's gear. That communication also advised that receivers need to be deployed by early April, before the salmon smolt are present in the Corrib prior to their annual migration.

The applicant was instructed to advertise the revised proposal and given the short time available the public consultation on the revised proposal was reduced from the normal 21 working days.

Some 26 observations on the revised proposal were received.

This application has yet to come before me for determination so I am unable to comment further at this time.