I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this Topical Issue for debate this morning, and I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to the Chamber. As he knows, I raised this matter in the Upper House on 18 March, and due to its importance for coastal communities, I wanted it to be the first issue that I raised as part of a debate in this House. This is, as the Minister of State knows, a classic big guy versus small guy issue. As it stands, small harvesters are providing seaweed product to big and smaller processors. Smaller processors are on record as saying that they are quite happy with the status quo, but bigger players want to control the licensing. In March, the Minister of State indicated that the marine planning policy statement, MPPS, was being finalised and was expected to be brought before the Government in April gone by. What is the status of the MPPS? What is it proposing regarding seaweed rights? In September 2023, the then Minister of State with responsibility for local government and planning, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, stated in the House: ... there also exists the right of individuals to harvest wild seaweed, namely those who hold appurtenant rights and profit-a-prendre rights. Their rights to harvest wild seaweed may be related to a property known as a folio or appurtenant right or built up through harvesting from the same area over a period of time known as a profit-a-prendre rights. The process of registering seaweed harvesting rights on a property folio is matter for the Property Registration Authority of Ireland [Tailte Éireann]. Advice provided by the Attorney General’s Office in 2018 to my Department was that these rights were to be respected. There is a cost and a burden on harvesters to register those rights. What thoughts does the Minister of State have in relation to a simpler, less costly procedure to allow harvesters to once and for all register their traditional or generational rights that are handed down but are not on existing folios? Something simpler than engaging with solicitors and going through Tailte Éireann is in order. Tá sé ráite ag an Aire Stáit go gcaithfimid cearta na mbainteoirí a chaomhnú agus a chosaint. Dúirt na hiarAirí Stáit ag an am, an Teachta O’Donnell agus iarTheachta English, go gcaithfí na cearta sna fóiliónna agus na cearta traidisiúnta eile a chaomhnú agus go bhfuil ról ag Tailte Éireann maidir le cearta feamainne atá leagtha síos ó ghlúin go glúin ach nach bhfuil scríofa ar fóiliónna a chlárú. Ach tá costais ag baint leis seo. An bhfuil aon bhealach go bhféadfaí é sin a dhéanamh trí phróiseas níos simplí agus ar chostas íseal? Céard iad smaointe an Aire Stáit air seo? Tá ról ag Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, agus tá a chuid oifigigh den tuairim nach bhfuil ceadúnas ag teastáil le haghaidh bailiú nó baint méid beag feamainne ar bhonn neamhthráchtála le haghaidh úsáid phearsanta. De réir MARA, má tá daoine ag baint agus ag bailiú feamainne le haghaidh úsáid tráchtála, nó méid mór le haghaidh úsáid pearsanta, ní mór dóibh iarratas a dhéanamh ar cheadúnas úsáide ó MARA. Tá na rudaí seo fíorthábhachtach. Níl sé soiléir céard atá ag teastáil ó bhainteoirí feamainne. This is an issue that has been going on for many years. While there was some certainty provided in the Attorney General's advice back in 2018, there are still licence applications being lodged that I presume are not being dealt with by MARA. MARA is a new agency and it has a role in deciding on those licences, but it is important that there be clear direction from the Department in relation to this. Is there a simpler process whereby, once and for all, we can deal with the generational rights of seaweed harvesters to control their product and rights?

Sentiment score: 0.09

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I welcome the fact that he expects the MPPS to be brought to the Government in the coming weeks. May I assume, therefore, that MARA is not granting licences pending the MPPS? Is that in abeyance? Is there a formal process? Is it involving itself in consultation on the best way forward in relation to the harvesting of seaweed and the licensing thereof? It is a relatively new agency. It is an issue that no licences have been granted for a number of years. The Minister of State has said that departmental officials were working on a simplification or a process to allow this. Have we any timelines in mind for that? The most important thing is that there would be a simpler process before any licences would be granted by MARA. It is key that MARA would not grant licences until we have a clearer system, the MPPS and a policy from the Department and that MARA was aware of this. I hope that MARA is sitting on these licence applications and is either rejecting them because of lack of a policy, or else just not dealing with them, and that the Minister of State would be given time to ensure that the traditional rights of seaweed harvesters were protected via whatever process or simplification could be done. It is important - the Minister of State has an opportunity in this - to ensure that this issue is put to bed once and for all, that these traditional rights would be registered in some fashion at no great cost to the harvesters themselves, and that these rights could be handed down to the next generation.

Sentiment score: 0.23