Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Commissioner and hope he enjoys his time in Ireland. I am interested to note his background is as a tax consultant and I am sure members would have loved to have the opportunity to find out what were his views on Irish taxation policy in the light of our economic problems. Many of the questions have had a local dimension and I note that, politically, the Commissioner started out as a town councillor and then as a district councillor. Consequently, he will be very familiar with local issues.

My questions are related specifically and solely to hydraulic fracturing in the context of increased dependency in Europe on fossil fuels and a lower investment programme. The Commissioner has noted that as a result of the economic downturn Europe-wide there has been lower investment in renewable energy production, and he has touched on a serious issue. I also noted the references made by him to shale gas production in the United States. In that context, is there not then a temptation for countries in Europe to consider shale gas extraction as a way out of the energy crisis that appears to be developing? How advanced are the Commission's deliberations in formulating a European Union-wide policy, which I presume will emerge from the Commissioner's directorate? Is he involved in discussions on fracking at European Union level? What timeline is envisaged before the Commission issues its proposals which were initiated last year in a report on the environmental impact of fracking? Has the Commissioner seen the report? Has he submitted observations on fracking to his Commission colleagues in that context? Has he answered questions on fracking submitted by MEPs?

I ask these questions to get some context in respect of this growing issue. It is extremely controversial in the region from which my colleague Deputy Michael Colreavy and I come, in the north west of the country. It is so controversial that in the absence of relevant and up-to-date technological data, any attempt to grant a licence for the development of hydraulic fracturing in the area would be met with extremely stiff resistance.