Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2015
623. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding research on hydraulic fracturing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45384/15]
View answerThe multi-agency trans-boundary programme of research on the potential impacts on the environment and human health from Unconventional Gas Exploration and Extraction (UGEE) projects is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and co-funded by the EPA, my Department and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, with oversight from a broad based Steering Committee that includes my Department. This All-Island Joint Research Programme (JRP) is a collaborative approach between Northern Ireland and this jurisdiction and is working very well. I regard the sharing of expertise between the various State Agencies in both jurisdictions as a positive initiative.
As is usual in major projects such as this, the project team involves a wide range of expert institutions and companies. CDM Smith is the lead consultant in the consortium engaged to carry out the programme of research, with the consortium also including the British Geological Survey, University College Dublin, Ulster University, AMEC Foster Wheeler and Philip Lee Solicitors. Each offers a particular specialism required by the project scope.
I am aware that there has been some comment on the fact that internationally, CDM Smith has provided expert advice to oil companies involved in the development of unconventional gas resources. I should point out that CDM Smith has also provided advice to State bodies and regulatory agencies across its area of expertise. As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, it is common that a broad range of parties will seek to draw on the specialist expertise available from a firm such as CDM Smith. The fact that disparate entities seek to draw on such expertise, is generally seen as an indicator of a company's recognised experience.
I can also confirm that Queens University Belfast (QUB) was initially participating as part of the Research Consortium. Due to a change in resources available in QUB, the tasks allocated to QUB were transferred to CDM Smith, supported by GSNI. QUB is still involved as part of the internal review process carried out by the consortium. While this internal review is carried out by the consortium as a quality control before submission of any interim and/or final deliverables of the UGEE JRP, all outputs are reviewed by a Technical Review Group which includes Steering Committee members and other external experts. This process is fully independent from the internal quality control process put in place by the consortium.
The programme of research will assist regulators, both North and South, in making informed decisions about hydraulic fracturing and I believe we should await the outcome of the research. Any policy decision on hydraulic fracturing will be taken in the context of the objective of achieving a low carbon energy system by 2050.
