Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 April 2022
129. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the total number of licences issued by his Department for mineral exploration in the past two years and his views on concerns by various campaigns and groups on the sustainability of increased mining operations in the State. [18886/22]
View answerNinety-two Prospecting Licences have been granted by my Department since January 2020. A Prospecting Licence allows the holder to prospect or explore for specified minerals in a defined geographic area and does not give the holder permission to undertake mining activities. My Department has received submissions as part of Prospecting Licence public consultations. Potential impacts of mining on the environment and local area, environmental impacts of mineral exploration and the public consultation process itself are among the issues raised in submissions.
All mineral exploration activities undergo environmental screening and there are strong environmental protections in place. Seeking permission to mine is a separate process requiring three State authorisations; planning permission from the local county council; a licence from the EPA (Industrial Emissions or Integrated Pollution Control licence); and a State Mining Licence/Lease. A thirty-day public consultation period is part of both the Prospecting Licence application and renewal process and notices are placed in a local newspaper, the county council office, a local garda station and on the Department’s website.
My Department is currently finalising a draft policy statement on mineral exploration and mining, that highlights the critical role minerals will play in our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and the transition to a circular economy through their use in, for example, renewable energy technologies, such as solar power, wind and batteries. The draft policy statement also underlines the importance of transparency and strong stakeholder engagement in our minerals policy and regulatory processes. I will shortly be establishing a cross-sectoral Minerals Advisory Group to support this work.
