Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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125. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the efforts he plans to make to promote the international phasing out of fracked gas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29432/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government set out that the Government does not support the importation of fracked gas and committed to developing a policy statement to establish that approach. On 18 May 2021, the Government approved Policy Statement on the Importation of Fracked Gas was published. The policy statement provides that: - pending the outcome of a review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems being carried out by my Department, it would not be appropriate for the development of any LNG terminals in Ireland to be permitted or proceeded with;

- the Government will work with like-minded European States to promote and support changes to European energy laws – in particular the upcoming revision of the European Union’s Gas Directive and Gas Regulation – in order to allow the importation of fracked gas to be restricted; and

- the Government will work with international partners to promote the phasing out of fracking at an international level within the wider context of the phasing out of fossil fuel extraction.

My Department will work with relevant Departments to implement this policy.