Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This is a significant issue. We lived up to our commitments in the programme for Government. We issued the policy statement that put a hold on the development of any LNG terminals pending an energy security review. That is the appropriate approach to take. I cannot accept these amendments. I do not believe they would be effective. They would need to be redrafted. It is difficult with gas being imported from the UK, some of which originates from fracked gas sources as they come from LNG terminals in the UK. One cannot completely determine whether gas coming through those pipelines is fracked gas. These amendments would, therefore, not be effective.

On the argument made on the preceding amendment, the purpose of this legislation is not to address every single political issue in relation to the energy or climate debate. There are valid questions around the rules of the importation of fracked gas, but that is not best addressed here. The best thing to do is to put in place our own mechanisms to reduce our volume and use of gas, and we will manage the issue of LNG terminals separately and, if necessary, in appropriate legislation. This is not the right place to address that legislatively. Therefore, I cannot accept the amendment.