Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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355. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the marine protected areas Bill 2022; the timeline for publication of the Bill, which was promised by quarter 1 of 2024; the reason for the delay in publication; the expected timeline for the Bill's passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22678/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The general scheme of the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Bill was published in December 2022. Following the scrutiny of the Joint Oireachtas Committee, my Department has been working in close collaboration with parliamentary drafters to develop this Bill. While it was initially hoped to publish in 2023, the legal, technical and scientific complexity associated with this ground breaking legislation has meant that drafting has taken longer than anticipated. However, drafting is now at a very advanced stage and I expect that it will be ready for publication shortly and hope that it will be speedily enacted.