Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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This research programme is a multi-agency transboundary programme of research on the potential impacts on the environment and human health from Unconventional Gas Exploration & Extraction projects/operations. It is co-funded by the EPA, my Department and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. My Department is represented on the Steering Committee which was responsible for the award of the contract and which is overseeing the project and my officials are engaged in the external review of the work being produced by the consortium engaged to carry out the research programme. Membership of the Steering Committee includes representatives from the EPA, the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government; the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources; the Geological Survey of Ireland; Commission for Energy Regulation; An Bord Pleanála; Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the Health Services Executive. The draft terms of reference drawn up by this Committee for the research programme were subsequently the subject of a public consultation process.

The contract award procedure chosen for this competition was by open procedure. Six tenders were received. The contract was awarded following a robust evaluation process in compliance with procurement guidelines. The constitution of the evaluation panel was approved by the project Steering Committee and included personnel with the capacity to make informed decisions on the tenders received. The evaluation panel consisted of 27 existing and retired personnel from the following organisations: An Bord Pleanala; Commission for Energy Regulation (CER); Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (DCENR); Department of the Environment Community and Local Government (DECLG); Department of the Environment – Northern Ireland (DOENI); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); ETH Zürich, Switzerland; Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI); Health Service Executive (HSE); Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA); the former Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) (now part of EPA); University of Ulster; University College Cork; University of Bergen, Norway.