On 1 August 2025, the responsibility for marine environment functions, including marine protected areas, was transferred to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) and a review concluded that it was preferable to consolidate marine legislation as much as possible rather than having a separate Marine Protected Areas Act.
On 13 November 2025, the government approved the preparation of a General Scheme for the Maritime Area Planning (Marine Protected Areas) (Amendment) Bill to provide a legislative basis for the designation and effective management of marine protected areas in Irish waters. Ireland has committed to achieving at least 30% coverage of the maritime area by an ecologically coherent network of MPAs by 2030 further to (1) the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, (2) the OSPAR Regional Sea Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic, and (3) the UN CBD Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (COP 15, 2022).
In July 2026, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Maritime Area Planning (Marine Protected Areas) (Amendment) Bill 2026, to amend the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 and establish a legal foundation for designating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) using Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs).
As part of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment hosted an EU Ocean Act Conference in the National Opera House, Wexford, 7-8 July 2026. The purpose of the conference was to “meet and discuss the draft European Ocean Act, a forthcoming EU law, planned for 2027, designed to unify ocean-related policies, strengthen maritime spatial planning, and promote sustainable use of marine resources” (https://irish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/events/eu-ocean-act-conference/). Minister Dooley delivered the key address to stakeholders and announced that the Government had approved the drafting of the Bill.
Options for an outing on the final day of the conference were either a coach trip to Hook Head or a three-hour Saltee islands boat trip (https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/campaigns/eu-ocean-act-conference-2026/).
A government press release dated 8 July 2026 gave further detail and provided a link to the 139-page General Scheme for the Bill at https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/acabaf0f/General_Scheme__Maritime_Area_Planning_-_Marine_Protected_Areas_Bill_2026.pdf.
The next step requires the Dáil Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joint Oireachtas Committee to examine the General Scheme. Following their pre-legislative scrutiny, the Government will consider the Committee’s recommendations and finalise the draft Bill. It is hoped that the Bill will be published in 2027, will proceed through the various stages of parliamentary scrutiny and debate in the Dáil and Seanad, possibly being amended, and that legislation will be enacted in due course.
Further reading and viewing
- SWC Promotions submission, July 2021
- MPA leaflet, October 2024
- Video featuring a fisher’s view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ6MZWm3gNw