Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
191. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the way in which the National Marine Planning Framework ensures that the full picture of all activities in our national marine space are considered when drafting and designating the locations of marine protection areas. [71677/25]
View answerThe National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) brings together all marine-based human activities for the first time, outlining Government’s vision, objectives and marine planning policies for each marine activity. The NMPF details how these marine activities will interact with each other in an ocean space that is under increasing spatial pressure, ensuring the sustainable use of our marine resources to 2040. The NMPF also outlines the supporting actions the Government considers necessary to effectively manage marine activities across the NMPF’s environmental, economic, and social pillars.
This NMPF is a key consideration for decision makers on all marine authorisations or applications for activity and development in Ireland’s maritime area, including those made within the new plan-led development system legislated for under the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. Public decision making bodies are statutorily obliged to consider proposals in terms of their consistency with the objectives set out in the NMPF. The NMPF provides the overarching marine planning structure to ensure that decision making is consistent, evidence-based and focused on the sustainable future of our maritime area.
The decision to transfer the marine environment function from the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage allows us to integrate the vital policy strands of maritime planning, sustainable use and protection of the marine environment. By doing this, we are able to plan and implement all the activities we need in our marine space in a sustainable manner while achieving and maintaining Good Environmental Status in our seas as required by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive so that they are clean, healthy and productive.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are part of the toolkit we can use to ensure that we meet this environmental goal. The expansion of Ireland’s MPA network will take account of maritime spatial planning needs and socioeconomic and cultural interests in the maritime area. As part of the MPA process so far, there has been extensive engagement with stakeholders, sectors and the wider public. It is envisaged that such engagement and participation will be a cornerstone of MPA delivery into the future, supported by the MPA LIFE Ireland project and the wider work of the Department.
The proposed Maritime Area Protection (Marine Protected Areas Amendment) Bill will allow for the designation of MPAs by using Designated Maritime Area Plan process. This will provide for full stakeholder and public consultation for this designation process on a statutory basis.
