Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am aware of reports of the incident to which the Deputy refers.

No application proposing the use of unconventional gas exploration or extraction has been approved in Ireland. No decision will be made on applications for exploration licences proposing the use of this technology until after the results of the Environmental Protection Agency research into the potential environmental impacts of unconventional gas exploration has been finalised and its findings considered and fully debated. A final report in this regard is not expected before 2015.

It should be acknowledged that physical geography and geology vary from country to country and the Irish environment is different to the environments in which many unconventional gas projects and operations are taking place worldwide. While we can and will learn from experiences in other countries, we should remember that any application proposing the use of unconventional gas exploration and extraction in Ireland must be subject to environmental impact assessments in accordance with the EIA directive. Such an assessment would entail consideration of the potential impact of the project on the population, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material assets, including the architectural and archaeological heritage, landscape and the inter-relationship between these factors.

It is the case, therefore, that if the use of unconventional gas exploration and extraction were to be introduced in Ireland that the risk of flooding would fall to be considered by the environmental impact assessment.

See this speech in context