The ten-week public consultation on the draft Policy Statement on Mineral Exploration and Mining and associated Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report and Appropriate Assessment Natura Impact Statement began on 30 July 2021. Notices to highlight the public consultation were placed online and where possible (if public contact details were available) direct emails or messages were sent to stakeholders, including community groups. A newspaper notice to highlight the consultation was also placed in every regional newspaper and a national newspaper in early September.
To raise awareness of the consultation and highlight issues in the sector of public interest so that people could make informed submissions, and with consideration of the public health guidelines at the time, the Department organised online information sessions for the week of 20 September 2021 and an online stakeholder townhall event for 6 October 2021 to give stakeholders an opportunity to hear, express and discuss views on the draft policy statement and mineral sector in Ireland. A number of presenters, including representatives from eNGOs, community groups, industry and research were invited by the Department to present at this townhall. A comprehensive consultation process has been undertaken and it is not proposed to extend the consultation period beyond 15 October 2021.
The submissions received by the Department as part of this consultation by post or email will inform the final Policy Statement, which will be submitted to Government for consideration.
