Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It may have come in and I did not notice it. I would have had different comments had I been aware the draft Bill was made available.

I have several points in regard to what has been presented today. I note that environmental matters and issues to do with petroleum and so on will be dealt with in separate legislation. That needs to be examined very closely because there are processes involved in minerals development, irrespective of what type of mineral it is, which impact the environment. I am not sure that covering these matters in separate environmental legislation is necessarily the best way to do it. It will have to be very carefully done and the environmental legislation will have to be looked at side by side with this Bill, as will the issue of petroleum licensing.

I am not sure how far the legislation takes into account possible changes in this area at EU and intercontinental level.

I am thinking of the investor safeguards under TTIP which is currently being negotiated. We do not know what the outcome of those negotiations will be, but we can be sure that potentially investors' rights will be subject to some form of panel which might supersede national legislation. That must be taken into account.

My apologies if I got the legislation already, but I certainly did not see it.