Vol. 382 No. 9
asked the Minister for Energy if he will list such environmental impact conditions as he has attached or proposes to attach in relation to mining licences for gold and in particular such conditions as may apply to the activities of crushing, grinding, gravity separation, cyanidation, filtration and gold precipitation.
103.
asked the Minister for Energy if he will give details of the conditions he has attached to mining or prospecting licences granted in the Mayo or Galway areas to the following companies:— (a) Glencar Exploration (b) Andaman Resources (c) Burmin Exploration & Development Co. Ltd.
(d) Tara Prospecting Ltd. (e) Westland Exploration Ltd. (Ennex International) (f) Munster Base Metals (Ennex International) (g) Ovoca Gold Exploration plc (h) Rio Tinto Finance and Exploration (i) Chevron (j) North West Minerals Ltd. (k) Irish Marine Oil plc. (l) Newmont Exploration Ltd. (m) Terra Minint AB (n) Celtic Gold plc. (o) Navan Resources plc. (p) Feltrim Mining (q) Sand Ltd. and (r) A-Ore Ltd.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 103 together.
State mining facilities have not been granted, in Counties Mayo or Galway, to the companies listed by the Deputy nor have any such facilities been granted in respect of gold in any part of the State.
While statutory notice of my intention to grant prospecting licences to them over certain areas in Counties Mayo or Galway has been published, prospecting licences have not, as of this date, been formally granted to a number of the companies referred to by the Deputy pending the completion of other procedures relating to the issue of the licences.
Prospecting licences are granted in accordance with the provisions of the Minerals Development Acts, 1940 to 1979. Prospecting licence holders are required to carry out their work in conformity with good prospecting practice and without unnecessary interference with the amenities of the localities in which licence areas are situated. They are required to ensure that any trenches opened during exploration work are backfilled as soon as the programme of work no longer requires them to be kept open and to restore the surface as far as practicable to its original condition.
Prospecting licence holders are required, as far as may be practicable, to inform landowners or surface occupiers of their intention to enter on properties to carry out work there. Furthermore, they may be liable to pay compensation for any damage caused by them. Licence holders are, also, required to apply for planning permission for any work which would require such permission.
A prospecting licence does not authorise the holder to develop any economic deposits of minerals he may find. For that purpose a separate State mining facility would be required.
The question of the environmental impact conditions which would be applicable to any gold mining operations that may develop from current prospecting activity would be a matter to be dealt with under the planning permission procedures administered by the appropriate planning authorities.
