Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1002. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of an application for a licence (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to concerns of the local community; his plans to address same; when a decision is likely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2896/20]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1005. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if issues raised in correspondence forwarded to his Department by members of the local community in an area (details supplied) will be taken fully into account in the processing of a prospecting licence application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2956/20]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1002 and 1005 together.

The company in question applied to my Department for a Prospecting Licence for Prospecting Licence Area (PLA) 1142 in January, 2019. The applicant requests consent to prospect for minerals in a number of townlands in County Cavan. The application for a prospecting licence is seeking consent to prospect for minerals only. It is not an application to mine, which is a totally different activity in terms of its scale and impact and is subject to a number of separate statutory consents, including planning permission, an Integrated Pollution Control licence and a mining lease or licence, as appropriate.

Following assessment of the application, the intention to grant the prospecting licence for PLA 1142 was published in the Anglo Celt and made available on my Department’s website on 4 December, 2019 and invited submissions on the proposed award. The consultation period was open for 30 days.

This prospecting licence application is under consideration by my Department, which is assessing the submissions received, including those received from communities. These submissions will be considered as part of the final decision making process concerning this application.