Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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6. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when he will receive the report on the outcome of an all-island research programme on unconventional gas exploration and extraction, and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21622/16]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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When does the Minister expect to receive a report on the outcome of an all-island research programme on fracking? I understand the previous Government, when asked if it was in favour of a ban on fracking, repeatedly said maybe but that it wanted to wait to see the outcome of this report. Does the Minister expect to have the report soon? What is the attitude of this Minister and this Government to the need for a nationwide ban on fracking?

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his question on an issue that exercises many people in different parts of the country.

In coming to a view on whether unconventional gas exploration and extraction could be permitted in Ireland, it was considered necessary in the first instance to establish if this technology could be carried out in a manner that would not negatively impact on the environment and human health. Having consulted publicly on the terms of reference for a research programme, the issues identified on foot of this process have been included in the scope of the research programme being administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, with oversight from a broad based steering committee that includes my Department.

At the beginning of this year, the steering committee took the view that it was an appropriate time to reflect on the overall timeline for the delivery of the research programme. As the original timeline envisaged that the entire programme, including work carried out under a supplementary tender, would conclude by late 2016, it was considered that were the supplementary tender process to be commenced, that the overall research programme would now not report until 2018 at the earliest.

As the request for tenders through which the CDM Smith consortium was appointed did not envisage an interim report, a revised scope of work was agreed with the consortium to combine all of the work to date into a meaningful synthesis report.  It is anticipated that this report will be published by year end.

I would like to reiterate that no application to engage in unconventional gas exploration and extraction has been received in my Department, nor would any such application, if submitted, be considered until the research programme has concluded and there has been time to consider its findings. Any policy decision will be taken in the context of the objective of achieving a low carbon energy system by 2050.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I do not think it is necessary to go through this process of a research programme and report. I understand Friends of the Earth and others have criticised the process by which it is being done. The evidence is quite strong already with the result that countries, including France, Tunisia and, Bulgaria, have already decided on nationwide bans on fracking. We have evidence from America where fracking is the most developed and where state regulators have documented at least 1,000 instances of water contamination, which would be one of the serious risks here, posing threats to our rivers, streams and ground water and to people's health and livelihoods. Separately but connected there is the question of carbon emissions in that the average fracking well releases an estimated 110 lbs of methane, which obviously contains plenty of carbon. It does not tally with our having any attempt of reaching the EU target in terms of carbon emissions.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Obviously, a decision was made by the Department in conjunction with other bodies to go down the route of a report. The report will gather together all the available data and information on the issue of unconventional gas exploration and extraction. The report is due by the end of this year at the latest, and possibly earlier, but we are saying by the end of this year. I believe the right thing to do is to wait for this report. Perhaps the Deputy will be pleasantly surprised when it is published. I am not going to pre-empt its contents but there has been a wide public consultation on the terms of reference and a number of bodies, including my Department, the EPA, and the Northern Ireland Department of Energy and others, have been engaged in this report. It is prudent to await the outcome of it.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I will give a very concrete reason the Government should not wait until the end of the year and the answer is CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada, which is likely to come into force in a preliminary way before the end of the year. That includes an investor-state dispute settlement, ISDS, mechanism.

Under a similar ISDS, the Lone Pine company has sued Canada precisely because Quebec has introduced a moratorium on fracking. The claim is for $250 million. If we do not put a ban in place in advance of CETA and ISDS coming into effect, any future decision to introduce one could cost the State a significant sum in a private court for what is seen as indirect expropriation and an interference with the right to profit.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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It has been decided that it is best to gather the information necessary to make the best informed decision. It was fast-tracked in terms of the synthesis report. Rather than waiting until the end of 2018, it was decided, based on the best scientific evidence internationally, to produce a synthesis report before going further to phase 2, if that is what the report suggests should be done. I am sure the Deputy would prefer to see a report by the end of 2016 rather than 2018. The report could say there is a role and to go ahead or it might say we should not go down the road of unconventional gas exploration. I am not going to pre-empt what the report will say but it will be published in the next number of months. It will be imminent when we return from the recess, so I ask that we wait for that.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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If the Government costs the State €10 million or €100 million, there will be a responsibility then.