Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Within the last couple of days the British Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that he is going to reduce the royalty tax rate for hydraulic fracturing operations in Britain. That is a sinister development because activity is already under way in County Fermanagh, directly across the Border. This is the same operational area from which shale gas could be extracted and it affects both sides of the Border. Is the Department aware of this initiative and what input can it have through Government access to bodies such as the British-Irish Ministerial Council, the North-South Inter-Parliamentary Association and others? This is a matter of great concern. It will spill over into the South if it provides a direct financial incentive for companies to engage in hydraulic fracturing.