Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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602. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of engineers employed in the offshore licensing unit in his Department; if he is satisfied that this is an appropriate amount given the demand on the unit from renewable energy companies; if he will commit to hiring additional personnel to expediate applications given the urgency of the climate crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2322/22]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s ambitions for the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) sector require an up-to-date regulatory regime to provide certainty to project promoters and deliver a pathway to realising the necessary investment. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 recently signed into law enables the realisation of these ambitions for ORE by providing the necessary legislative toolset for forward planning, well-regulated development, streamlined consenting, and comprehensive environmental assessment of proposals.  The Act also provides for the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, or MARA, a new state agency under the aegis of my Department which will be responsible for consenting and enforcement functions in the maritime area.

I am hopeful the agency will be established and operational within twelve months at which point anyone wishing to undertake development in the maritime area will have to apply for a Maritime Area Consent (MAC) from MARA and, if granted, then apply for development permission from the relevant coastal local authority or An Bord Pleanála. MARA will also be responsible for granting licences for certain activities in the maritime area (including environmental surveys), for ensuring robust compliance through enforcement measures, and for managing the existing State Foreshore portfolio of leases and licences.

The Act also includes specific provisions to enable certain ORE projects (Phase 1 Projects) proceed through the new consenting regime ahead of the establishment of MARA. Recognising that it will take time to establish the new agency, it was decided by Government that the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications should be granted limited powers to invite MAC applications for specific ORE projects for a specified period in advance of establishment. This will ensure the progression of a pipeline of projects under the new regime in order to meet our 2030 climate and energy targets. I understand that work is well advanced within the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to develop robust processes and guidance for these MAC applications. That Department is expecting to open the MAC application window for these projects in April 2022, with decisions on applications taken by Q3 allowing successful projects to be eligble to apply for development permission.

Until such time as MARA is operational my Department will continue to manage the existing maritime planning system in accordance with the Foreshore Act 1933 and applications for leases and licenses made in accordance with that Act will be accepted and assessed under that legislative structure.

There has been a significant increase in the number and complexity of foreshore licence and lease applications made in recent years as is set out in the table below. The majority of this increased application activity is related to ORE infrastructural development, including potential development site investigation activity, Eirgrid cabling development, and port infrastructure improvement. In addition, power and data cable application activity has increased from both commercial and state-led projects. In parallel, emerging case law and enhanced requirements arising from various environmental assessment Directives have added to the complexity of the appraisal process.

My Department has more than doubled the staffing resources available within the relevant Unit in my Department over the last eighteen months. In addition, a panel of external specialist environmental consultants established to assist in the technical assessment of applications is in operation. While I am satisfied that the appropriate resources are in place, I am keen to keep the arrangements under review.

Foreshore application activity - 2018-2021 to end quarter 3)