Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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676. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason her Department did not respond to the Northern Ireland Warrenpoint Harbour Authority EIA screening consultation for in-lough dumping in Carlingford Lough rather than the current location 22 miles out at sea (details supplied). [47866/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, I have a role as a statutory consultee in a variety of legislative contexts which typically govern the making of plans and programmes, the regulation of projects, and the associated environmental assessments of these (where required) across the range of development and land use sectors. In any such capacity, my Department may make submissions or observations to assist the responsible authority in carrying out its functions, including consent functions, in compliance with various legislative and administrative requirements with respect to the conservation, protection and preservation of natural and built heritage.

In relation to the proposal referred to in the Deputy’s question, in September 2016 the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland (DAERA-NI) consulted under its Marine Works (Environment Impact Assessment) Regulations 2007 with various bodies in the Republic of Ireland, including my Department, to inform its decision making as to whether an Environmental Impact Assessment was required for the proposal by Warrenpoint Harbour Authority to create a new disposal site within Carlingford Lough and within the jurisdiction boundaries of the Harbour Authority, to dispose of material dredged from within the Harbour limits.

Whilst my Department endeavours to provide observations or submissions on developments that have been referred for comment it is not always in a position to do so.  No inference however should be drawn from this that my Department is satisfied or otherwise with a development, plan or programme, or that natural or built heritage matters are not material considerations, if my Department does not issue observations on a particular proposal. While my Department may or may not provide observations, , I am not the competent authority for proposals such as that was submitted for Carlingford Lough by Warrenpoint Harbour Authority. It is a matter for the competent authority in this regard to assess the environmental impact assessment screening report and ensure the findings are in compliance with the relevant environment impact assessment legislation.

I understand that in the case of the Warrenpoint Harbour proposal DAERA-NI were content that the proposal did not require a full environmental impact assessment and that the Harbour Authority was obliged to undergo a full site characterisation assessment exercise. I further understand that the placement of dredged material is licensable and that there will be further surveys, assessment and consultation processes. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine would be best placed to advise further on this process.