Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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168. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of oyster farming at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9165/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department considers all applications for aquaculture licences in accordance with the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the 1933 Foreshore Act and applicable EU legislation. The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisers as well as various Statutory Consultees.  The legislation also provides for a period of public consultation.  

In accordance with statutory procedures, a Public Notice was placed in ‘The Kerryman’ by an applicant for an Aquaculture Licence on 31^stJanuary, 2018. 

The details of this application and relevant accompanying documentation (including Environmental Impact Assessment Screening) are currently available for scrutiny at Killorglin Garda Station which has restricted hours and Killarney Garda Station which is open 24 hours and may also be viewed on the Aquaculture/Foreshore Licence Applications Section of my Department’s website. 

Any person may, during the period of 4 weeks from the date of publication of the Public Notice, make written submissions or observations to my Department per the details set out in the notification. The licence application referred to is under active consideration by my Department as part of a statutory process. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the application pending the completion of this process. 

In addition, my Department is currently processing 10 further applications in the Rossbeigh/Glenbeigh/Dooks area which have not yet reached the public consultation stage of the licensing process.  

All applications are examined in accordance with the applicable legislation and full account is taken of the engineering, scientific, environmental, legal and public policy aspects relevant to each application. 

The legislation governing aquaculture licensing also provides for an appeals mechanism. Appeals against licence decisions are a matter for the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) which is an independent statutory body.