110. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the resources being put into the development of legislation for the creation of the Marine Protected Areas (General Scheme of a Maritime Area Planning (Marine Protected Areas) (Amendment) Bill 2026); whether his Department is engaging with the MPA LIFE project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55164/26]

My Department has a dedicated team from the Marine Strategic Policy Section assigned to the policy and legislative development of the Maritime Area Planning (Marine Protected Areas) (Amendment) Bill. This team is supported by other colleagues, in particular from the Marine Environment and Planning Advisory team as well as the Legal Unit. The Departmental team will work closely with drafters from the Office of Parliamentary Counsel with support from the Advisory Counsel of the Attorney General's Office where appropriate on the detailed drafting of the Bill.

To enable the delivery of MPAs in Ireland’s maritime area and meet our national and international targets and commitments, my Department is leading on and coordinating the MPA LIFE Project funded under the EU’s LIFE programme This project is being undertaken in conjunction with three project partners – University College Dublin, University of Galway and University College Cork. The team will continue to engage with other Departments, public bodies and key stakeholders throughout the drafting process as required.

It is a 9-year project with a budget of approximately €25m, of which 60% is grant-aided by the EU. The project, which began in July 2024, is being delivered through a participatory ecosystem-based management (EBM) process, involving the co-design, co-production and co-delivery of outcomes in close collaboration with all marine stakeholders.