Debate contribution: Mineral Licensing Moratorium
Debate contribution by Ms Aisling Reilly on .
- MLA
- Ms Aisling Reilly
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 17 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Opposition Business
- Heading
- Mineral Licensing Moratorium
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5014089
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.
I welcome the opportunity to respond to the motion on behalf of Minister Archibald. The legal framework for mineral prospecting licences is contained in the Mineral Development Act 1969. It is important to note and to be clear that the Act does not cover precious metals. As has been mentioned here before, gold and silver are reserved matters and come under the control of the Crown Estate. Members should therefore be aware that the debate has nothing to do with gold exploration; instead, it concerns minerals such as zinc, copper, aluminium, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite. Those minerals are vital for renewable technologies, including wind turbines and electricity networks. Our climate change targets will be achieved only if we transition our energy production away from burning fossil fuels to greener renewable sources. That transition requires minerals. For example, a typical electric car requires six times more mineral inputs than a conventional car. Recycling is an important component in increasing supply. The Department for the Economy is working with a number of local companies that are major players in the field: for example, Ionic Technologies, based in Belfast, is fast becoming a world leader in the recycling of rare earth minerals from used magnets. As well as the work on recycling, the Department supports many circular economy policies aimed at reducing mineral inputs and addressing issues with product life cycles. While the Department is pushing to increase the reuse of minerals, that, in itself, will not meet the needs of the green transition. It is important that the licensing framework for minerals provide the highest level of environmental protection. That is why a comprehensive review of the existing mineral regime is under way. As part of that review, the Department for the Economy issued a tender last week for the required strategic environmental assessment and habitats regulations assessment. In addition, a call for evidence will take place in the autumn. The review will also be informed by developments in the EU and in Britain. The motion calls for the withdrawal of the seven new mineral prospecting licences that the Department for the Economy granted on 8 May 2025. It also calls for:
"a moratorium ... until the regulatory framework for licensing has been reviewed and amended."
When the former Economy Minister took up office, his intention was to implement a moratorium while the review took place.
It will, however, take a number of years to complete the research and the necessary environmental assessments, develop a new policy, carry out a full public consultation and draft and enact the legislation. The legal advice provided to the Department for the Economy confirms that, because it will be a number of years before a new legislative framework is in place, it would be illegal to put a moratorium in place.
It is also important to note that licences are assessed by officials in the Department for the Economy, not approved by the Minister for the Economy, and that it is a quasi-legal process. It should also be noted that the Department produced a comprehensive report in response to the issues that were raised during the consultation. That report is available on the Department's website. The review of the minerals regime is therefore progressing, but it is a significant piece of work, and, in the meantime, the existing legislation must be complied with. In conclusion, it should be noted that mineral prospecting licences have been in place for many years, with no evidence of any environmental issues. The Department has received legal advice that it would be illegal for the Minister to withdraw approval retrospectively for the seven new licences or to put in place a moratorium on considering the granting of any new mineral prospecting licences. The Minister's Department will continue to monitor the work of the licensees and ensure compliance with the regulatory framework. Officials will push ahead with the review of the minerals regime, and the Minister looks forward to consulting Members and the public throughout the review. In the meantime, the Department is legally required to treat any new applications for mineral prospecting licences in line with the existing legislation.
697 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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