Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

When Deputy Joe Higgins and other Members of the House raised this matter a few years ago, I supported the carrying out of a further examination of the safety and security issues and the procurement of outside and independent international advice in this regard. The Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, spent a year carrying out such an examination.

I am aware that the site development work relating to the Corrib gas terminal at Bellanaboy is continuing. I am also aware that protesters continue to attempt to block workers from entering the site. I respect the right of people to protest but I am strongly of the view that employees also have the right to travel to work unimpeded.

I have no reason to argue about these issues. There has been unprecedented consultation and deliberation in respect of them. It was a long process and separate statutory approvals and consent had to be obtained. Licences were required in respect of six separate elements of the project. Under the Continental Shelf Act 1968, everything had to be examined in respect of the construction of the onshore installation. That was completed on 15 April.

Matters also had to be examined in the context of the Petroleum and Minerals Development Act 1960, a process that concluded on 15 April 2002, and the Gas Act 1976, as amended, deliberations in respect of which also concluded in 2002. An integral part of the plan for the development was approved on 15 April 2005. A foreshore licence was approved, under the Foreshore Act 1993, as amended, in respect of the routing of the pipelines through the foreshore connecting the gasfield to the land-based installation. Under the Planning Acts, in respect of the land-based installation — the terminal — this was a condition of the plan of development approval and An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission in October 2004 for the gas terminal and the associated disposition site subject to 42 conditions.

Under the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992, an integrated pollution control licence for the operation of the terminal was issued. This is a condition of the plan of development approval and is under negotiation with the EPA. In addition to these and the issues to which I referred earlier, the Minister issued compulsory acquisition rights orders and compulsory purchase orders. Environmental impact assessments were carried out and an environmental impact statement completed. All these statutory processes have been gone through and most had been completed when I supported the independent assessment that was carried out. These matters are finished and the Deputy will agree that an end position is sometimes reached in a case. That was reached some time ago.

See this speech in context