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

Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on 27 April 2026.

MLA

Dr Caoimhe Archibald

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

27 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Petroleum Exploration and Licensing (Repeal) Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5508222

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank Members for their contributions. I am encouraged by the support from around the Chamber. I anticipate that, when the Bill goes to the Economy Committee, it will be fully scrutinised. I thank the members of the Economy Committee for their contributions to the debate. As I set out in my opening remarks, the Bill is an important step in supporting our decarbonisation journey. It aligns with our legislative obligations, the energy strategy and the conclusions of independent research. Exploration for oil and gas would run contrary to those commitments and be unlikely to bring meaningful benefit to the local economy or to consumers. I will pick up on some points that Members raised in the debate. A number of Members spoke to the broader need for plans for energy security and affordability. I know that Members recognise the ongoing work in that regard and that we continue to pursue that in order to ensure that we have more affordable and secure energy. I note Mr Brett's commitment, as Chair of the Economy Committee, to scrutinise the Bill fully while reflecting that there were 382 responses to the consultation, the vast majority of which were very supportive of the Bill. I believe that only one response supported outright the continuation of licensing, but the Committee will get into the detail of that. Sinéad and David referred to the need for longer-term planning for energy security and stepping up the pace of transition. On the plans for the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme, a Bill is being drafted, and it remains the intention to get that introduced before summer recess. Obviously, we have a tight time frame now, so everyone is working at pace to progress things as quickly as possible before the end of the mandate. I note the comments of Diana and Áine about the impact in County Fermanagh, where licences were most recently applied for, and the concern of communities about all of that. One of the things that the Bill does is provide a level of clarity and certainty for those communities that we have a long-term position on this. Mr Gaston set out clearly his objections. The reality is that we have climate obligations in legislation that we are obliged to deliver on. It has been clearly set out, through independent research, that economic benefit is unlikely to be delivered through exploration. There has been an ability for nearly 62 years to grant licences, but commercially viable oil or gas has yet to be identified. Given the direction of travel on the transition to net zero, we want to invest in renewables. We want to send a signal to the markets that we want to have renewable investment here, and the Bill very much helps us to progress all of that.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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