Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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6. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if and when interim reports will be published on the research being undertaken by the Environment Protection Agency for the environmental impacts of unconventional gas exploration and extraction study, particularly in relation to the possibility of granting exploration licences for fracking here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3916/15]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Hardly a month goes by without hearing more concerning news about the effects of fracking on our health and our planet. I am concerned as to whether the EPA investigation into this area has produced results yet and what is the Government's plan in this area.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. To assist Government bodies in making informed decisions about future licensing and management of any proposal for the use of hydraulic fracturing as part of an unconventional gas exploration or extraction project, comprehensive knowledge of the potential impacts of this process on the environment and human health is required. On behalf of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the EPA appointed CDM Smith consultants last year to undertake this programme of scientific research, which is to be carried out over a minimum period of two years. The key questions that this research programme must answer are whether unconventional gas exploration and extraction projects and operations can be carried out in the island of Ireland while also protecting the environment and human health; and what constitutes best environmental practice in relation to such projects and operations. To this end, the scientific research programme is based on a consideration of existing baseline data with respect to ground water, air and seismicity and the potential implications and mitigations that are required to be considered in order to understand the possible environmental impacts of using this technology.

While it is not anticipated that any interim reports will be made available before the final report is published, I have sought a progress update report on the research programme from the EPA, which I expect to receive shortly. I confirm again that no decision will be made on any proposal for the use of hydraulic fracturing as part of any unconventional gas exploration or extraction programme until there has been time to consider the outcome of the EPA research.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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We have been skirting around the subject for a while now and it has come to a certain point. Governments in Ireland and elsewhere will be left with a massive challenge to clean up the mess left by previous governments. The Government discusses doing so in economic terms in respect of the people who were in office before it. On an environmental level, people are waking up to the fact that there are massive challenges which we are not meeting. I will quote briefly from Naomi Klein's book This Changes Everythingon climate issues, which is a must-read for everybody:

In virtually most countries, the political class accepts the premise that it is not the place of government to tell large corporations what they can and cannot do, even when public health and welfare are clearly at stake.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy's sentiments and am at one with him on his concern, having met with a number of groups, including during the summer with Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Senator Michael Comiskey. I note that Deputy Michael Colreavy has a very strong interest in the area also. There are concerns. In fact, more than 1,000 submissions came from the community during the consultation period prior to the EPA report. That was not just in relation to the environment, but predominantly on health and health impacts. That is why we have built a very strong health pillar into the EPA report. It is also why there is a representative from the health sector on this particular body.

I was very concerned that the EPA would do a two-year report and let someone deal with it then. I sought and built in, not necessarily a mid-term review, but an appraisal of where matters stand at this juncture. The process only commenced last August, but the appraisal will happen shortly. We must look at a mechanism to distribute the resulting information. If there are ideas from the other side of the House, I will move that forward. I am certainly open to them.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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The concept of the effect on health should be paramount but we cannot just pay lip-service to it. We must be proactive and tackle some of the problems that could arise to damage our health. The Minister, Deputy Alex White, spoke to Deputy Boyd Barrett during the last question about the 2020 programme targets. It was worrying to hear the Taoiseach refer last Tuesday week to Ireland being in a position to negotiate with the EU on the targets we have. The only thing we should be negotiating is the possibility of achieving better targets in faster times. People are really concerned and there is a bit of a wakening up on the challenges of climate change and the attaching health issues. As a small country, it would be great for Ireland to be stronger and to act as a leading light in this area. It was great to see Scotland put a stop to fracking recently.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Deputy Wallace for putting down this important question. The starting point must be that none of us has a monopoly on wisdom in relation to hydraulic fracturing. Many of us are absolutely clear that it should not be allowed anywhere on the island of Ireland. It is very welcome that the Minister of State has sought an interim report. I ask that the report be made public and presented before the Oireachtas committee to allow its members to look at the whole scope of it. There continues to be serious public concern in relation to potential gaps in the scope of the research being carried out.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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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.