Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The real situation is different from what the Minister has said. Legislation is extremely weak with regard to consulting local communities that are affected by mining developments. Current legislation regulating mining practices in Ireland does not sufficiently provide for proper consultation with communities from the outset. All the local community in Glenfin saw was a notice in local newspapers saying that people had two weeks in which to lodge objections. That was not consultation. It generated further distrust, which brought us to where we are today. Even with our economic lenses on, we must accept that mining in Ireland does not offer the best value for money and creates a marginal number of jobs. The Government is continuing to advertise Ireland at international events as a destination for extractive industries. A number of companies do not pay in lieu royalties or make one-off payments. It is obvious that Ireland is being presented as a flexible destination for mining companies. The Government has lobbied strongly for Ireland as a mining destination, including in the last year at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference. In 2015, the Fraser Institute declared Ireland to be the number one country for mining policy under the headings of tax, political stability and the industry's perception of Government policy. It simultaneously found that Ireland was performing poorly when it came to the certainty of rules surrounding environmental protection, which mining corporations obviously do not like. When will the Government, which is actively pursuing mining companies, protect the communities on which it is imposing this mining activity?

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