Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 408: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if the Government will guarantee the safety of the Corrib gas refinery project in north Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10522/05]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The safety of the gas terminal is in the first instance a matter for Shell E & P Ireland Limited. The plan of development approval, including the consent to construct a pipeline, took account of safety matters. It also incorporates the permits and licences to be issued by other regulatory authorities.

The plan of development approval was given subject to a number of conditions, one of which stipulates:

Approval by me for first gas, commencement of commercial production operations, will be subject to amongst other things the receipt of a letter(s) of acceptance for all Corrib installations, pipelines and associated engineering infrastructure from an auditor to be appointed by my Department indicating that third-party independent verification has been carried out and completed satisfactorily in relation to the development.

In addition the planning process takes due account of all safety aspects, including public safety, in its determination. In this regard, the Deputy's attention is drawn to condition 15 of An Bord Pleanála's planning decision, which stipulates:

Before the commissioning of the gas terminal, the developer shall submit to the planning authority a certified safety audit in relation to the installation of the combined upstream pipeline and terminal elements of the development within the planning application site, and the agreement of the planning authority shall be received.

The Safety Audit shall be prepared and certified by an independent qualified and competent person or body. Such body or person and the precise form of the safety audit, which shall include qualitative and quantitative risk analysis of the specified combined components, shall be agreed with the planning authority.

The safety audit shall also be submitted to the Health and Safety Authority and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources at the same time as it is submitted to the planning authority.