Vol. 506 No. 6
24 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the number of mining licences granted in the past two years; the number of positive results arising from exploration on foot of these licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15969/99]
Three State mining facilities, two licences to Tara and the Lisheen mining lease – have been issued in the period from 24 June 1997 to date. Also, the Irish Gypsum lease was extended by supplemental indenture to allow continued working in the Knocknacran quarry. SMFs are issued only after successful exploration which has identified an ore body. The application for SMF must show the viability of the proposal economically and environmentally and must be in parallel with any necessary applications for planning permission from the local planning authority and integrated pollution control licence from the Environmental Protection Agency. There are 18 SMFs currently extant.
The only exploration carried out under an SMF is to ascertain the exact location and grade of minerals so as to optimise the mining process and increase the available knowledge of the size and grade of the ore body. It is usual for a company holding an SMF not to publicly release results from their ongoing exploration although expenditure can be considerable, more than £1.7 million in 1998.
