Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)

Will the Minister explain why he has no intention of publishing a policy discussion paper on the subject? It is fair to say there are environmental concerns, but there are also human, social and community concerns, of which we have seen evidence in documentaries on the issue. For example, we know that fracking has been banned in France. A number of preliminary licences are at issue. Does the Minister not consider it would be preferable to have a national policy, rather than having hit and miss policies across local authorities? Why would we not opt for a broader national policy at this time?

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