Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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594. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of exploration licences issued in the past five years; the extent to which they have been activated to date in 2017; the prospects emerging; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22156/17]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Details of all petroleum exploration and mineral prospecting authorisations granted are published on my Department's website www.dccae.gov.ie on a quarterly basis. In addition, I am required, under the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act, 1960, and the Minerals Development Acts, 1940 to 1999, to lay before the Oireachtas half-yearly reports detailing all petroleum and mineral exploration authorisations granted during the period of the report. The last such reports under both of these Acts were in respect of the six-month period ending 31 December 2016. Tables outline, in respect of both petroleum exploration licences and mineral prospecting licences, the number of licences granted over the last five years to date.

Exploration Licences granted 2012 to 2017

When an exploration licence is granted, whether relating to petroleum or minerals, it is granted subject to an agreed work programme, the progress of which is monitored by my Department. All exploration licences granted in the past five years have been activated as such.

There have been no commercial discoveries of oil or gas within the territory of the State in the last five years. Ireland, however, has witnessed a positive upswing in the level of petroleum exploration activity in recent years, in particular acquisition of new seismic data. It is anticipated that this will translate into an increased level of exploration in the coming years.

In a similar manner, while the number of active minerals prospecting licences indicate the buoyant state of mineral exploration in Ireland, no new commercially viable deposits of minerals have been discovered in the last five years, although there have been some encouraging results. It is too early to determine, however, whether these results will lead to identification of commercially viable deposits.