73.—(1) The Minister shall, with the consent of the Minister for the Marine, make regulations providing, in relation to all or any leases, licences, permits, or other authorisations which the Minister for the Marine F80[or the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board] is empowered under law to grant, or to the renewal of any such leases, licences, permits or other authorisations, that such leases, licences, permits or other authorisations, or specified classes thereof, shall, for the purposes of environmental protection, be subject to the approval of the Agency and such approval may be given either without conditions or subject to such conditions related to the purposes of environmental protection as the Agency shall specify.

(2) Any conditions attached to an approval of the Agency under subsection (1) shall be attached by the Minister for the Marine to the grant by him of the relevant authorisation.

(3) The Minister for the Marine shall, following consultation with the Minister, by regulations specify the procedures under which the approval of the Agency under this section shall be obtained, including the period within which the Agency shall give a decision with regard to an approval, and different procedures or different periods may be prescribed in relation to different leases, licences, permits, or other authorisations or to different classes thereof.

(4) The Minister for the Marine may, where he is of opinion that it is in the public interest to do so and with the consent of the Minister, by order provide that any class of case not provided for by regulations under subsection (1), should, for the purposes of environmental protection, be subject to the approval of the Agency and the requirements of subsection (1) shall apply to such class of case so long as the relevant order remains in force.

(5) An order under subsection (4) may, following the agreement of the Minister, include such matters as may be prescribed under subsection (3) in relation to the class of case concerned.

(6) The Minister for the Marine may, by order, with the consent of the Minister, amend or revoke an order under subsection (4).