Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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214. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the establishment of the maritime area regulatory authority; and when he hopes it will be established. [35424/22]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021, which was enacted in December 2021, includes provisions to establish a new agency, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA). MARA's role will be wide ranging in scope and extensive preparatory work is required in advance of its establishment in respect of each of its individual functions. It is intended that MARA will be formally established in Q1 2023.

To lead this critical work in a focused way, and to manage the timely establishment of the agency, a dedicated MARA Establishment Unit is in place within my Department. This unit currently has 11 staff who will then move for a period of secondment to MARA as an ‘advance team’, so that there will continuity of the work. A budget of €2 million is available this year to allow early investment in the structuring of the new agency.

I expect the recruitment campaign for the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairperson and ordinary members of the Board of MARA to be underway in the coming weeks. In respect of the Board, it is my intention to seek nominees from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the County and City Management Association at the same time the campaign for Chair and ordinary members is publicly advertised.  It is intended that the Board will be in place later this year in advance of the establishment of MARA.

The functions of MARA will be commenced on a phased basis, starting with the consenting processes. My Department will continue to accept and assess applications for foreshore consents under the existing Foreshore Acts until MARA is operational. Once MARA is operational, new applications will not be accepted under the current Foreshore consenting regime, but applications on hand (e.g. site investigation applications etc.) will be processed to completion.