Mr. Dara Lynott:

To begin with, the EPA also is about the protection of the environment. Its sole role is the protection of the environment for the people of Ireland. We have been doing research for a long time and commission research where there are complex issues coming down the line that need more information to allow everyone to come to an informed view or decision on them. We were the first to come through, with a 2012 preliminary study, to try to carry out literature-based research on all the available data and studies that exist. Moreover, from that we developed a scope of work on which we subsequently went out for public consultation. We have a robust and independent system, which is the same system we have used for all €74 million worth of research we have commissioned since 2007. Since then, we are relying on 27 people from An Bord Pleanála, the Commission for Energy Regulation, the Departments of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, the EPA, the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Health Service Executive and a number of universities.

We relied on those 27 experts to go through all six tenders - there was not just one tender, there were six - to identify who was most appropriately suited to carrying out this research. We relied on them to use their best judgment in an unbiased way. This is publicly-funded research, it is not research commissioned by private industry. The money for the project is being invested by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Northern Ireland authorities. We must ensure that this research is peer reviewed and robust. We have a steering group comprising a number of independent, publicly-funded individuals who come together and use their best knowledge to determine whether this research stands up to scrutiny. Ultimately, the latter will have to be the case because it will not be published anywhere unless it is peer reviewed. I reiterate that no hydraulic fracturing will happen as part of this research. No exploratory licence will be granted until this research is completed. All regulatory processes will come into play if and when some private entity decides to become involved.

CDM Smith is one part of a large consortium which includes Philip Lee solicitors, Foster Wheeler, UCD and British Geological Survey. Its role is to co-ordinate this research. CDM Smith is a significant player in environmental consultancy worldwide, employs 5,000 people and it consults on every aspect of the environmental impacts of projects. We are satisfied that the process we have undergone was robust. The process of peer review and oversight by the steering group is also robust, designed to ensure that the research will stand up to scrutiny. We are of the view that it will provide answers in respect of the questions we have put forward.