Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will relay the Deputy's concerns. We will look at a mechanism to disseminate that information. On Deputy Wallace's concerns on health, I note that there is a licensing round in the Atlantic margins currently. If one looks at the acreage available to Ireland in that context, Ireland is the fourth largest country in Europe in geographical terms. There is a momentum offshore and within the industry on the potential within the new round of licensing in the Atlantic margin. I am on record regarding my personal opinion as to whether there is enough acreage out there to focus on that sector and oil and gas drilling offshore. I think there is.

Is Ireland too small a country with so unique an architectural and archaeological heritage to have fracking here? Without pre-empting any of the information in the report to which I have no access, I note that I have my own reservations given the size of Ireland and the architectural and archaeological uniqueness of the island on going to a stage for hydraulic fracturing. We know of reports in other countries of environmental and health concerns. That is my personal view and I am on record as having said that in the past. I have my concerns. While I am certainly not pre-empting what will come out of the report, I wish to record that again.

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