Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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606. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position regarding fracking here; and if persons' concerns have been taken into consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13122/14]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I have made it clear on a number of occasions that any application for an exploration licence proposing the use of hydraulic fracturing as part of an unconventional gas exploration programme would be subject to a full environmental impact assessment. An environmental impact assessment, which requires public consultation as well as consultation with prescribed bodies, entails consideration of the potential impacts of a project on population, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material assets, including the architectural and archaeological heritage, landscape and the inter-relationship between the above factors. Under the EIA Directive, it is not possible to permit a project unless it can be determined following assessment that it would not have an unacceptable environmental or social impact.

In this context, in December of last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a call for tenders to engage the relevant expertise to carry out scientific research into the potential impacts of hydraulic fracking. As part of the development of this process, the terms of reference for this study were the subject of a public consultation process and the submissions received were considered in finalising the procurment documents advertised. It is expected that a report from this study will not be published before 2016.

I wish to confirm that no applications have been made to my Department to date proposing the use of hydraulic fracturing in exploration drilling. Furthermore, until there has been time to consider the findings of the EPA research, the use of this technology in Ireland will not be authorised.