Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle has called for further protections for the marine environment to be introduced, as a part of a new bill regarding marine planning.
The Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021, will provide for new plans, including the building of offshore wind farms.
Deputy Pringle called on the Government in the Dail to adopt a plan-based approach to maritime area planning.
He says the amount of sea areas given protections by Marine Protective Areas should be increased along with the planning bill, in order he says, to protect the marine ecosystem along with the construction of offshore energy:
