The Social Democrats have accused the Government of attempting to railroad the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) through the D\u00e1il without adequate pre-legislative scrutiny.<\/p>\n
Holly Cairns TD, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson for the Marine, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe time allocated for a debate on this topic tomorrow is wholly inadequate to address the myriad of issues involved. This is a blatant attempt by the Government to avoid proper scrutiny of the Bill, which could have wide-ranging implications for the livelihoods of fishermen and our natural marine environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe National Marine Planning Framework is a major Government plan that will shape our coastal communities for decades, encompassing a significant range of matters from fisheries to offshore energy production and archaeological heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cInshore fishers \u2013 and coastal and island communities in West Cork and other areas \u2013 are seeking points of clarity and a strengthening of aspects of the plan. The Government should be facilitating this discussion to enable us to develop the best plan possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week, the Government were planning to have no debate on the plan – now they are allowing less than hour. Coastal communities and those dependent on the sea for their livelihoods deserve more respect and consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s worth making the point that many of us, including the fishing community, acknowledge the importance of investing in wind energy projects, which forms a major element of the National Marine Planning Framework. However, what we are simply looking for is proper consultation with those working in the fishing industry, as well as environmental groups.”<\/p>\n
Cian O\u2019Callaghan TD, who is a member of the Oireachtas Housing, Heritage and Local Government Committee, added:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lessons from the Derrybrien wind farm, where the State is paying out fines of up to \u20ac15 million as a result of planning legislation being rushed through, should serve as a wake-up call for the Government. We need to get marine planning right and to do this we need proper debate and scrutiny \u2013 50 minutes in the D\u00e1il is entirely insufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n
April 28, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Social Democrats have accused the Government of attempting to railroad the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) through the D\u00e1il without adequate pre-legislative scrutiny. Holly Cairns TD, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson for the Marine, said: \u201cThe time allocated for a debate on this topic tomorrow is wholly inadequate to address the myriad of issues […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,400,7,399],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cian-ocallaghan","category-holly-cairns","category-press-release","category-tds"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n