Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 22: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will guarantee that in the event of granting licences of any kind to a prospecting company for hydraulic fracturing, fracking or by unconventional means, that every single drilled bore hole will require an Environment Protection Agency licence; if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23932/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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It is a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency, which is an independent statutory body, to determine the activities that it is to licence.

From my own Department's perspective I can inform the Deputy that each proposal for the drilling of an exploration well gives rises to a detailed application and assessment, before permission to drill can be given. On the specific issue of possible future onshore exploration drilling using hydraulic fracturing, I have made clear that any such proposals would be subject to an environmental impact assessment before permission to drill could be granted by my Department. That process would include a public consultation phase.

Under the licensing options granted by my Department earlier this year, which run to 2013, exploration drilling is not allowed.