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

I am getting to the question. First, how can the EPA expect that reasonable people will treat the report that will emerge from this process eventually as independent when the project is being led by cheerleaders for the fracking industry? Please tell me more than they have signed an undertaking, because that does not answer the question. How can reasonable people be expected to believe this will be independent? Are not two people, who formerly were in the British Geological Survey, working with Tamboran Resources, which has one of the licences here? I realise this will entail additional work for the joint committee but I will be asking that the EPA comes back before it because although the report is dated 26 April, I only received eight days ago. It is just me and a man from County Kerry and I need to talk to many different groups that were involved in this matter to analyse what the joint committee has received thus far. For example, it does not state which consortium companies are doing which modules of the work.

Mr. Lynott spoke about the health impact assessment. Will that be a public health impact assessment and who will carry it out? There is no reference to the already-existing body of peer-reviewed medical information and I am informed there have been 400 different reports within the past 12 months of which 170, if not more, have been peer-reviewed. It is clear that a huge effort is being made by the fracking industry and by political supporters of that industry to get this introduced throughout the world. I have just received word in the course of this meeting that thankfully, the European Parliament has voted in favour of an amendment calling on member states not to authorise fracking until it can be proven to be safe for the environment and health. That is very welcome.