Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 42: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position of plans for exploration of oil in the Porcupine Basin; if he will provide a list of companies interested in this exploration; if he is satisfied that a full public consultation has taken place; the safeguards put in place to ensure accountability in the tendering process for oil exploration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21375/08]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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During the 2007 Porcupine Basin Licensing Round, four applications were received which have resulted in the award of exploration licences over areas totalling some 4,700 square kilometres. These licences are additional to four existing licences which were granted under previous licensing rounds. Details of these licences can be found in the following table.

Details of all petroleum exploration authorisations granted by the Department are included in reports published twice a year that are laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The broad criteria for assessing applications for exploration authorisations, is set down in the Department's "Licensing Terms for Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration". The key considerations include the quality and extent of the work programme proposed, along with the demonstrated technical competence, financial capacity and experience of the companies involved in the application. For each individual licensing round the Department will also publish specific conditions that must be met by applicants. All application received by the Department are subject to a detailed evaluation based on the relevant award criteria.

In advance of each licensing round the Department arranges for a comprehensive strategic environmental assessment to be carried out over the area to be offered for licensing. Each strategic environmental assessment includes a public consultation phase. In the case of the 2007 Porcupine Licensing Round the public consultation included meetings with identified stakeholder groups along with open days in Galway, Limerick and Bantry.