Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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519. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which oil, gas and other mineral exploration incentives available for on and offshore exploration are competitive in every sense with those available in other jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27338/13]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The principal incentive that impacts on decisions by exploration companies to invest in exploration for oil, gas, or other minerals in the Irish onshore, or offshore, is the likelihood of making a commercial discovery. Other factors of relevance would include the fiscal terms, the regulatory regime, the relative harshness of the operating environment, along with access to infrastructure and markets. Perception of the various relevant factors will vary amongst exploration companies and indeed is likely to vary over time within individual companies. The Government seeks to maintain a balance between the relative factors that encourage mobile international exploration investment to locate in Ireland.