Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome this opportunity to discuss what I believe will be a critically important issue for the Government and country over the coming months, namely, fracking. This practise is causing fear and concern for citizens who live in areas identified as having potential for extraction of shale gas, one of which is in the Clare area and the other of which is in the Leitrim area. I will concentrate on the area with which I am familiar, which is the Clare area.

This practice is causing grave fear and concern for many people living in the Clare area. They have heard the stories from other countries of the devastation of fracking on communities, community life, groundwater and tourism potential. People in Clare - and, I am sure, throughout the country - have strong views on this issue. So strong are they that the local council has during the past two weeks commenced the process of ultimate banning of fracking in Clare and other areas.

Obviously, the democratic process has worked well at local level and it is incumbent on Members, within the confines of the Dáil, to act on the advice they have been given by local authorities such as Clare County Council. I call on the Minister of State to take on board the views and comments of those concerned, that is, the local elected representatives and those whom they seek to represent, to ensure no further licences, exploratory or otherwise, are issued; that no commercial activity is allowed to begin and that the Government moves at the earliest possible opportunity to implement a nationwide ban on the process of fracking.

While Members are the custodians of the land, in the great scheme of things they are only here for a relatively short time. It is vitally important that we not do anything to the nation and its lands that would render it completely redundant for future generations. They have a responsibility to protect the environment. The research I have undertaken indicates that the process of fracking would have a detrimental impact and effect on the areas concerned. West County Clare which is known as a beauty spot has a certain population density. It is of vital importance to protect the livelihoods of those who wish to reside in such an area. Were Members to turn it into a wasteland by allowing the process of fracking to be developed, they would be telling future generations they would be obliged to move away from the area. Ireland is a small island with a fair-sized population. It cannot afford to turn vast tracts of the countryside into wastelands.

The Government should move quickly in this regard, rather than giving the exploration companies which come here, albeit in an exploratory capacity initially, a potentially legitimate expectation. However, as the giving of a licence marks the first phase, the very fact that it is issued creates an expectation. Moreover, it is not good enough to state such companies must have an EPA licence or will be obliged to secure planning permission. Ireland should take a firm decision immediately that it is not in favour of onshore fracking. There is potential to find natural resources offshore in our seas, which is positive and on which we must follow through. However, a line should be drawn under onshore exploration through fracking at the earliest possible opportunity in order to prevent it from becoming an ongoing issue.

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