Vol. 487 No. 3
58 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the information available to his Department on the reported gold discovery in County Monaghan; if a mining licence has been applied for or granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3872/98]
It has been known for a number of years that gold mineralisation has existed in the Clontibret area of County Monaghan and over the years there has been considerable interest in exploring the deposits to ascertain if the deposits can be considered commercial. The current holder of prospecting licences permitting exploration for gold and certain other minerals in the area is Conroy Diamonds and Gold Plc. The first three licences which were issued to this company allowing prospecting in the area were issued in July 1996 with two further licences issuing in November 1996. The company had promising results from its initial exploration and sought additional areas. A further licence issued in April 1997. Four other licences issued in January 1998 and applications for six others are currently being processed. All licences are valid for a period of six years.
While the company issued a press release on 22 January 1998 in regard to the prospects of the mineralisation eventually being proven to be commercial, much further detailed work needs to be done to support the view that an economic deposit is present. Technical staff of my Department are regularly monitoring the exploration activities of the licensee and are being kept fully informed of developments. A State mining lease or licence authorising the commercial extraction of gold has not been sought in respect of any of the licence areas and it would be far too early for me to consider an application at this stage.
