Debate contribution: Petroleum Exploration and Licensing (Repeal) Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 27 April 2026.

MLA

Ms Sinéad McLaughlin

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

27 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Petroleum Exploration and Licensing (Repeal) Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5508174

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Today marks a welcome and important step forward in placing a statutory prohibition on onshore petroleum exploration and licensing. As Members from all parties will know, that is not a new argument in the Chamber; we have spoken about it many times. In fact, in 2015 — over a decade ago — my party colleague Mark Durkan ensured that a ban on fracking in policy was taken forward through his strategic planning policy statement. We have been pleased to support previous private Members' Bills on the topic. Outside the Chamber, the message from communities, campaigners and experts has been consistent and clear: they have raised the alarm about the risk of petroleum extraction and the need for a statutory ban. Their voices and the public pressure that they have created deserve the credit for the debate and even the action today at this stage of the legislative process. We know, of course, that the evidence backs up those campaigners. Research has consistently shown us that it is communities, not companies, who truly pay the price for the effects of fracking. The consequences are not only environmental but can be seen in the long-term health impacts and the wider social effects that are inflicted on local people by the practice. Moreover, the 2021 Hatch report was clear that Northern Ireland is unlikely to achieve the economies of scale that would make the industry viable to a point where it could lower costs for consumers. In other words, any continuation of fracking could risk significant environmental damage and social consequences for, at best, a very modest economic return. I am glad that we are united in opposing that trade-off. It is a conclusion that should be particularly heeded by anyone who wants to defend the practice on the basis of economic interests. The evidence simply does not support them. It should go without saying that ending the practice also aligns with our obligations under the Climate Change Act and our wider transition to a sustainable energy system. Ending that extraction practice is a necessary step if we are serious about meeting those commitments. Continuing to profess loyalty to those targets without ending the practice would undoubtedly ring rather hollow. Let us be honest: there is no meaningful case for the continuation of fracking licences. There is no compelling environmental or economic case. The legislation is welcome and overdue, but it is just catch-up legislation. Six years ago, we passed unanimously, across parties, a motion calling for this move. I remember speaking about it two years ago during a debate on a Sinn Féin motion. Then, I said that the question was no longer whether a ban would happen but how long it would take for the Economy Minister to progress to that legislation. Ireland legislated for the ban back in 2017. Across the UK, a moratorium has effectively halted the practice. Our political dysfunction — the in-out politics here— has frustrated efforts to act at the same pace. While I welcome this process and the Second Stage today, it should also prompt us to reflect on how we ensure that the necessary action is not postponed in the future and that it is part of wider energy planning as well, as was mentioned by the Chair of the Economy Committee. The real task ahead is not simply to prohibit what we should not do but to accelerate what we must do. That means investing in clean, renewable energy and building a sustainable energy system that delivers for our economy and our environment. The Bill is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to engaging further at Committee Stage and examining its provisions in greater detail.

616 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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