Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will commission an independent QRA in the interest of the health and safety of the residents who will be compelled to live beside the Mayo gas upstream gas pipeline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8396/05]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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As I have already stated, my Department is at present considering an application for consent to install the onshore pipeline. Both the quantified risk assessment, QRA, and the Johnston report, to which I have referred previously, will form part of this process. In so far as there may be issues in the QRA that need further clarification, elaboration or even additional material, Mr. Andrew Johnston, assisted by other independent consultants, will provide the necessary advice to my Department.

On 21 February 2005, Shell reactivated its application for consent to install and commission phase 3: onshore pipeline and umbilical, originally submitted in June 2002. On 24 February 2005, my Department wrote to Shell requesting the clarification and elaboration of certain information and studies provided in the 2002 application.

Officials from my Department met with Shell on Friday, 4 March 2005, to discuss these issues further. In the course of this meeting Shell advised that the company had appointed Shell Global Solutions to carry out a peer review on the QRA and any associated reports-studies submitted to my Department by the then operator Enterprise Energy Ireland Ltd. Shell has agreed to submit these reports to my Department by early April of this year. It is my intention to appoint a consultant who is an expert in quantified risk assessment to review these documents and report to me on all aspects, especially that of public safety. I intend to publish these reports immediately when available.

It is my intention to progress consideration of the application for consent to install the upstream pipeline in an open, balanced and informed manner. My decision to publish the full suite of documents mentioned above, prior to my making a decision, will, hopefully, allay local fears in regard to the safety of the pipeline and the process being adopted.