Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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510. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the review under way regarding the option to give him the legislative basis on which to screen mineral exploration drilling under EIA directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53001/18]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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A regulation, amending the Minerals Development Acts and which provides the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment with the statutory authority to undertake screening for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), in line with EU Directive 2011/92/EU as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU, was signed on 28 September 2018. The regulation, which is entitled the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) Minerals Development Act 1940) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (SI 384 of 2018), is available at:

A related regulation, amending the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 and which is entitled the European Union (Planning and Development) Environmental Impact Assessment) (No. 2) Regulations 2018 (SI 404 of 2018), was signed on 8 October 2018. This regulation is available at:

Following the introduction of these regulations, all applications for mineral exploration drilling are screened in line with the requirements of the EIA Directive and the Minister’s determinations are available on the Department’s website: