Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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200. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will follow the example of the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development by giving an undertaking that no Coillte lands will be let, leased or sold in the short or longer term to persons or companies seeking to introduce hydraulic fracturing in Ireland. [52280/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as land transactions, are the responsibility of the company. While the subject matter of the question, hydraulic fracturing, falls within the remit of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, I understand that the current position in relation to hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ is that no applications proposing the use of hydraulic fracturing will be considered in Ireland until the results of the research by the Environmental Protection Agency into the potential environmental impacts of unconventional gas exploration and exploitation are available and have been considered. I understand that a report in this regard is not expected until 2015. I also understand that any application proposing the use of this technology would be the subject of Environmental Impact Assessment, which must consider the all potential environmental impacts.