Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 8: To ask the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources the discussions he has had with the authorities in Northern Ireland with a view to agreeing a joint policy north and south on hydraulic fracturing on an all island basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35821/12]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Officials of my Department have had contacts with their counterparts in Northern Ireland on onshore exploration authorisations in place in the two jurisdictions. The primary purpose of these contacts has been to facilitate an exchange of information on the nature of the activities that have been licensed and their associated timelines. There has also been a sharing of information on the regulatory processes that would apply in each jurisdiction should the promoters of these projects make applications to advance to an exploration drilling phase or beyond.

The focus of these engagements has been on information sharing and not on seeking to agree a joint North-South policy. In the case that a project in either jurisdiction were to advance to the next stage, it would be subject to the regulatory processes that pertain in that jurisdiction. The environmental consideration of any proposed project in either jurisdiction will be subject to EU environmental legislation, including the provisions relating to consultation across borders where there could be a potential negative environmental impact in a neighbouring jurisdiction.

A meeting between authorities both North and South took place in February of this year, which provided an opportunity for a more detailed engagement and sharing of information between the respective regulators, together with a commitment to keep each other informed on relevant developments. Additionally, officials from Northern Ireland are represented among the bodies engaged in scoping the more detailed research to be commissioned by the EPA later this year, on the potential environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing.