1E.— (1) In this section, "relevant Minister" means the Minister of the Government who falls within paragraph (c) of section 1B.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), the relevant Minister shall not, on or after the relevant date, perform a function under a relevant section.

(3) Subsection (2) shall not apply to the relevant Minister’s determination of an application made under this Act before the relevant date but not finally determined before that date.

(4) The MARA may, on or after the establishment day—

(a) exercise the power or proviso for re-entry referred to in section 2(4), or

(b) exercise the power to terminate referred to in section 3(5),

to the same extent that the relevant Minister may have done so before the establishment day.

(5) (a) F19[Subject to subsection (3), the relevant Minister] shall not, on or after the establishment day, perform a function under the other provisions of this Act.

(b) The references in the other provisions of this Act to the appropriate Minister shall, on and after the establishment day and to the extent that such references are references to the relevant Minister, be construed as references to the MARA.

(c) The references in section 13AA to a Minister of the Government shall, on and after the establishment day and to the extent that such references are references to the relevant Minister, be construed as references to the MARA.

F20[(5A) (a) Subject to paragraph (c), the MARA may, at its discretion and whether of its own initiative or at the request of the relevant Minister or the applicant under section 3 concerned, treat a relevant application (F) as a relevant application (M) if it is satisfied that it has received all the information that would be required under the Act of 2021 if the relevant application (F) were a relevant application (M) and, in any such case, the provisions of the Act of 2021 (including section 117(3) of that Act) shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to the relevant application (F) so treated.

(b) Where, pursuant to paragraph (a), the MARA is treating a relevant application (F) as a relevant application (M), the MARA may adopt any determination that has been made, before that treatment, under the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 ( S.I. No. 477 of 2011 ) in respect of the relevant application (F).

(c) Paragraph (a) shall not apply to a relevant application (F) made before the applicable date where the MARA is satisfied that—

(i) a material change is being sought to the application by the applicant, or

(ii) material information provided in, or accompanying, the application was submitted more than 2 years before the applicable date.

(5B) The MARA may, if it thinks it appropriate to do so, give reasons for any decision by it to decline to treat a relevant application (F) as a relevant application (M) and, in any such case, those reasons may form the basis of consultations between the relevant Minister and the applicant under section 3 concerned as to the appropriate course of action to be taken with regard to the relevant application (F).]

(6) In this section—

"Act of 2021" means the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021;

F20["applicable date" means the date of commencement of section 244 of the Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023;]

"establishment day" means the day appointed under section 41 of the Act of 2021;

"foreshore authorisation" has the meaning assigned to it by the Act of 2021;

"function", in relation to the relevant Minister, includes the relevant Minister being the person to whom a rent, fine, royalty, or other money, is paid or is required to be paid;

"MARA" means the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority;

"other provisions of this Act" means any provisions of this Act other than a relevant section;

F20["relevant application (F)" means an application under section 3 for the grant of a licence;

"relevant application (M)" means a licence application within the meaning of the Act of 2021.]

"relevant date" means—

(a) in the case of a relevant section and a foreshore authorisation which falls within section 105 of the Act of 2021, the coming into operation of that last-mentioned section, and

(b) in the case of a relevant section and a foreshore authorisation which falls within section 129 of the Act of 2021, the coming into operation of that last-mentioned section;

"relevant section" means section 2, 3, 10, 13 or 20.]