Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

For the people of the north west a public information and consultation process needs to be announced immediately and engaged with. The people in the relevant counties want to realise the benefits of the bounty of the earth if it can be accessed safely. I am afraid that despite the polish of the corporate machine which, as the Minister said, some people may be stirring, there is a lot of genuine concern.

I ask the Minister, along with the EPA or another independent entity he said is necessary, to lead the independent information service on this issue and assure the people of Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Fermanagh and so on that their concerns will be addressed and no processes will be permitted to proceed if they threaten the environment and, above all, the quality of the water table, which as the Minister pointed out is the new oil.