Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1295. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the necessary resources will be provided to the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board in order that decisions can be made in a reasonable timeframe. [12835/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) was established on 17th June 1998 under Section 22 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1997 (as amended) (the "1997 Act"). The function of the Board is to provide an independent authority for the determination of appeals against decisions of the relevant Minister on aquaculture licence applications.

As provided for under Section 23 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1997, the Board consists of a Chairperson and six other members. There are currently two vacancies on the Board and the recruitment processes to fill both of these vacancies are nearing completion.

While operating under the aegis of my Department, ALAB is an independent body with its own funding provided for by the Oireachtas under Section 36 of the 1997 Act. An allocation of €400,000 is in place for 2025 to cover operational costs and members' fees and expenses incurred by ALAB.

The staffing resource provided by my Department to ALAB has increased over recent years. This includes the appointment of a Technical Advisor and a Senior Technical Advisor to assist the Board in the timely processing of appeals, as well as additional administrative staff assigned to the ALAB Secretariat.

ALAB Secretariat

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1296. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the necessary resources will be provided to the Marine Institute in order that appropriate assessments for aquaculture licence applications can be completed in a reasonable timeframe. [12836/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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My Department considers applications for aquaculture and foreshore licences in accordance with the provisions of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 (as amended), the Foreshore Act 1933 (as amended) and applicable national and 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. Decisions in respect of aquaculture licence applications are only taken following the fullest consideration of all consultations and public interest elements of each application, including environmental considerations.

As the Competent Authority for aquaculture licensing, my Department is responsible for ensuring all applications are appropriately assessed in the context of the Birds and Habitats Directives. This work is undertaken by the Marine Institute, as my Department’s scientific advisors.

The Marine Institute is Ireland’s national marine research agency established under the Marine Institute Act, 1991 “to undertake, to co-ordinate, to promote and to assist in marine research and development and to provide such services related to marine research and development, that in the opinion of the Marine Institute, will promote economic development and create employment and protect the marine environment”.

The Marine Institute has a budget allocation of over 45 million for 2025. The 2025 allocation is directed towards science advice and service provision which informs government policy and decision-making in sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture licensing, seafood safety and security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable development of the maritime industry.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1297. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will work on a framework for State assistance, for those in the aquaculture industry who endure serious financial loss, in circumstances beyond their control, similar to those in place in the wider food and agrifood sectors. [12837/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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My colleague Minister Timmy Dooley T.D. and I are both aware of the challenges facing the aquaculture sector. Minister Dooley recently met with industry representatives in the seafood sector, including IFA Aquaculture, he met with Rope Grown Mussel producers in the South West this month, and will be attending the IFA Aquaculture annual conference in late March.

While Minister Dooley and I appreciate that aquaculture producers can face challenges similar to those experienced in the agriculture and horticulture sectors, we are equally mindful that funding for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors is provided under a different funding framework than that in place for the agriculture sector. Funding for the seafood sector is provided under cohesion funding, specifically the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). The provisions of EMFAF are aligned with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Ireland's €258 million Seafood Development Programme, which is co-funded by the Irish Government and the EU, funded under the EMFAF and is the primary funding package for the commercial seafood sector in Ireland. It provides a number of schemes under which aquaculture operators may access support , such as the Seafood Training Scheme, the Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme, and the Seafood Capacity Building Scheme.

These schemes are all administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and further details are available on www.bim.ie/.

BIM also provides a range of other supports and advisory services to aquaculture producers. In addition aquaculture producers also have access to finance under schemes implemented by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI).

Under the EMFAF Regulation, Member States may use EMFAF funding to provide aid in respect of increased costs or production losses in exceptional and limited circumstances, and only where the Commission has made an implementing decision under Article 26(2). Currently there is no implementing decision in place that would allow any such aid to be provided under the EMFAF.

My Department and BIM have been engaging with representatives of the aquaculture sector in relation to the difficulties that they are experiencing at the moment, and Department officials are working with BIM to identify any possible additional supports that could be put in place for them, within the parameters of the relevant EU Regulations on funding for the commercial seafood sector.

Work to progress the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development has begun. An Implementation Steering Group has been established and has begun its work. The implementation of this Strategy will also provide a framework for engagement with the sector and an opportunity to identify and put in place measures to support the sustainable and continued development of this important sector over the coming years.

While every effort will be made by my Department to identify what supports may be put in place, it is important to recognise that we must operate within the constraints of EU funding Regulations and national budgetary processes. In the meantime BIM remains available to provide technical advice, guidance and support to you and other operators in the aquaculture sector.