Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 April 2023
143. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will explain the rationale for granting ten prospecting licences to an Australian mining corporation in east Mayo in view of the potential negative impacts this could have on water quality in the area. [19783/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra11 Prospecting licences were granted in counties Roscommon and Mayo in March 2023, to Oriel Selection Trust Ltd. Oriel Selection Trust Ltd is an Australian junior exploration company that has been active in Ireland for over 16 years and uses a local SME to manage and operate their Irish prospecting licences.
In December 2022 The new 'Policy Statement on Mineral Exploration and Mining — Critical Raw Materials for the Circular Economy Transition' was published. The policy is to ensure a stable, robust, and transparent regulatory framework that supports environmentally sustainable mineral exploration and mining; and maximise the contribution that sustainable exploration and mining can make to our society, economic development and the transition to a circular economy and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, through the supply of the raw materials necessary for our sustainable development.
Mineral exploration activities in Ireland take place within a framework of Irish and EU legislation, including those implemented to ensure that the environment, including water quality, is protected.
All exploration activities must be undertaken in such a manner as to avoid damage to the environment and amenities of the Licensed Area and to avoid or minimize disturbance of residents. The licensee is obliged to follow my Department’s guidance for good environmental practice, including on the protection of water bodies in mineral exploration as part of its Prospecting Licence conditions. All exploration activities are the subject of environmental screening by the Geoscience Regulation Office in my Department, to ensure that they will not give rise to any significant adverse effects on the environment.
