asked the Minister for Energy if the study prepared by the Geological Survey Office on coal resources in the Kish Bank Basin which was made available to the exploration industry for interpretation last December has resulted in any negotiations for exploration facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

20.

asked the Minister for Energy the latest information available to his Department regarding reports of substantial coal deposits under Dublin Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 20 together.

The most recent studies available to me on the coal resources in the Kish Bank Basin are a British Mining Consultants Limited report of 1981 and a Geological Survey of Ireland report of 1986. These reports indicated that an extensive programme of exploration and other studies was necessary before conclusions could be reached on whether there are economically exploitable coal reserves in the area. The data in the reports was made available to interested exploration companies who were invited to apply for prospecting facilities in the area. One application was received. The evaluation of this application by my Department is nearing completion.

I should like to ask the Minister if he, his Department or the IDA, have carried out any test as to whether the coal resources might be viable from an Irish point of view but not necessarily from the point of view of multi-national companies who are being invited to extract it.

An Irish company has applied and the evaluation of that application is nearing completion. They are looking for prospecting facilities in the area and I am hopeful that we will be able to give a positive response.

Will the Minister say if the system of recovery of such resources will require planning permission in view of the fact that there may be access to it outside the low water mark? Has that aspect been examined by the Department in their study?

Planning permission is a separate matter. At this stage we are being asked to decide on a prospecting application. We are trying to define the scale of the reserves. We have received some estimates of the reserves but we have to define the extent of them. The question of the recovery of the coal is a matter for another day.