Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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631. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if a strategic environmental assessment was carried out prior to the the granting of petroleum options licences for onshore basins here in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48305/14]

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Three onshore licensing options were granted in February 2011, two over parts of the North West Carboniferous (Lough Allen) Basin and one over parts of County Clare. These licensing options conferred upon the holders the first right to apply for an exploration licence over the areas concerned. The licensing option work programmes permitted the companies to evaluate the natural gas potential of the acreage largely based on desktop studies of existing data. Exploration drilling, or the use of hydraulic fracturing in exploration drilling, was not proposed by the companies concerned, nor was it permitted under the licensing options.

As the award process and nature of the authorisations awarded did not constitute a plan or programme under the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive a strategic environmental assessment was not required. Projects on the scale of such authorisations fall within the ambit of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the Birds and Natural Habitats Directive.

Two of the three companies, (Tamboran Resources and Enegi) have submitted applications for a follow-on exploration licence.

Successive Minsters and Ministers of State at the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources have confirmed, however, that they will make no decision on such an application pending the outcome of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Research Programme into the use of hydraulic fracturing. This research has recently commenced and is expected to conclude in 2016. It has been made clear that no decisions will be taken on any application that proposed the use of hydraulic fracking in exploration drilling until the EPA Research Programme is complete and there has been time for the Government and other interested parties to consider its findings. The appropriate time for decision-making on the issue of hydraulic fracturing will be after there has been an adequate opportunity to reflect on the findings of the EPA research.