Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Minister of State is welcome back to the House. It is the first opportunity I have had to engage with him on an issue since he was promoted. I wish him every success in his role. As a Donegal man and a neighbour, the Minister of State will be very familiar with the fracking issue which, initially, is of particular concern in the north west, with particular reference to the Lough Allen basin which covers Fermanagh, Leitrim and part of south Donegal.

Last week there was a briefing in this House by the very well-organised lobby which has grown out of the concerns of people in Leitrim particularly and has expanded into the surrounding countries about the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing on the terrain. Particular concerns have been raised.

If a licence were granted for exploration there would be a proliferation of wells across the exploration area which would result in severe and long-lasting damage to tourism. Of more immediate concern would be the effect it would have on groundwater. As the Minister of State is aware, the area we are discussing has a significant quantity of water through its rivers and lakes.

At the briefing there was a statement which I have incorporated into this question. The main group involved in the protest against fracking is called Love Leitrim. When visiting the Houses of the Oireachtas last week members of that group stated that the original licence granted by Mr. Conor Lenihan, who was then the relevant Minister of State, to carry out exploratory work, which effectively is desktop work by the two companies then but now one, Tamboran Limited, could or would oblige this Government or a future Government to grant them drilling licences. I am concerned over this.

The original licences were specific and were of an exploratory nature. I put my hands up and admit that initially I had no objection to an exploratory investigation being carried out because where I live in Drumshanbo in County Leitrim explorations have been going on since I was a child by the Canadian organisation Marathon. It was given a licence to explore the Leitrim and west Cavan for commercially viable gas deposits. So it is nothing new in the area where I lived. It may have been very new to the people in Manorhamilton, Glenfarne and Kiltyclogher where Tamboran was to do its drilling. When the exploratory licence was granted I did not express much concern. However, when it became more apparent it was planning to carry out hydraulic fracturing, like many other people I naturally educated myself as much as I could and particularly investigated what happened in America where this had been carried out.

As a result we are where we are today and the wording of the motion is self-explanatory. I am seeking clarity on the matter.