Part of Oral Answers to Questions – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:00 pm on 19 March 2013.
The Member moved from shale oil to shale gas, so I am not sure what he is referring to. However, I am, of course, aware of the PwC report, as, indeed, I am of numerous reports that are being made available on shale gas, hydraulic fracturing and shale oil.
We will take all that information and look at it in the round, and we will not be basing our decisions on one report or another. The Member knows that we have had reports from, for example, a House of Commons Select Committee, which believes that we should proceed with hydraulic fracturing in a regulated environment. We can take that report or that from PwC, or we can take others that are very firmly against hydraulic fracturing and the benefits of shale gas and shale oil.
We need to deal with the facts, and, at present, we are looking at the fact that Tamboran Resources Ltd has not yet submitted an application to drill a test hole to retrieve rock cores. That would usually happen under permitted development, but that is, of course, entirely a matter for Planning Service in the Department of the Environment.
After that test hole is drilled, Tamboran will undertake environmental baseline studies before putting in a planning application. So, there is a long way to go in this process, and we are only at the beginning. I have no doubt that many other reports will come forward in the intervening period.