Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1971. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of plans to sell the harvesting rights of kelp disk seaweed to a company (details supplied); if this deal has already gone through; and the way it will affect the County Clare coastline. [37254/17]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Under the Foreshore Act 1933, the removal of beach material, including seaweed, is prohibited without the consent of the Minister.

The named company has applied for a licence to harvest wild seaweed. During the course of assessing this and a number of other similar applications, it became clear that certain rights to harvest seaweed exist.  My Department is in the process of ascertaining, with the assistance of the Attorney General, the legal interface and relationship between these traditional harvesting rights and the current applications.  These applications, most of which are by companies, are effectively on hold until such time as my Department is in a position to bring clarity to the regulatory regime applying to the harvesting of wild seaweed.  At that point the applications on hand will come before me for determination.