Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2014
563. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the names of all organisations and consortiums who submitted a bid to undertake the joint Northern Ireland Environment Agency-Environmental Protection Agency research into unconventional oil and gas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36690/14]
View answerFollowing an announcement in November 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invited tenders for a joint programme of research into the potential environmental impacts from hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ as a means of extracting natural gas from underground reserves.
The procurement process for the appointment of the consultants was carried out by the EPA. As the EPA is an independent Agency, any queries with regard to its procurement process, including details of tenderers, are a matter for the Agency itself. However, I understand that the tender was awarded to a consortium led by CDM Smith Ireland Limited, which also includes Queens University Belfast, British Geological Survey, University College Dublin, University of Ulster, AMEC and Philip Lee Solicitors.
