The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources says it "absolutely refutes" the allegation that "huge pressure" was placed on Mayo County Council's planning committee over the Corrib gas field project.
The Department also says there has been a "total misunderstanding" over the role of the former minister for the marine and natural resources, Mr Frank Fahey.
A memo presented to Mr Fahey during a Channel 4 news report on Tuesday, which referred to his wish to sit on "a project steering group to act as a forum for issues", related to the setting up of an environmental monitoring group (EMG), the Department says. This was intended to make the procedure more transparent, it says.
The EMG was set up by Mr Fahey as a condition of the approvals given by him for the gas terminal development off the Mayo coast.
It was charged with monitoring development during all stages of the Corrib Gas Field, and with ensuring adherence to an environment management plan drawn up for the project.
The EMG includes representatives of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Dúchas, Mayo County Council, Enterprise Energy Ireland Ltd, North West Regional Fisheries Board, local fishing interests and local residents.
The EMG will confine its consideration of the environmental plan to works "other than the terminal" until An Bord Pleanála determines the planning approval issue, the Department says.
An Bord Pleanála has been holding a resumed hearing on the gas terminal in Ballina, Co Mayo, throughout the past week.
The Department says its Petroleum Affairs Division wrote to a number of bodies, including Mayo County Council, in the context of its responsibility over the regulation of the project under the Petroleum, Foreshore and Pipeline legislation.
"In that context, it is entirely legitimate that the Department be made aware of the timing and nature of any important authorisations by other public bodies as early as possible," it says.
"It was also in that context that letters of 18th May, 2001 were addressed to Mayo County Council, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Foreshore Division of this Department. It was never the intention of the Minister, or his officials to influence in any way the consideration by the local authority of the planning application." The Department says it made a submission to Mayo County Council on the proposed gas terminal's Environmental Impact Statement. This included a report prepared for the Department by consultants Environmental Resource Management, which was on public file in Mayo County Council.
On claims that the Department made a video of objectors which subsequently ended up in the hands of Royal Dutch Shell - owners of Enterprise Energy Ireland which is developing the Corrib project - the Department says that a video was made of a public information seminar which it hosted on July 25th, 2001 in Teach Iorrais, Geesala, Co Mayo. The video was commissioned to record proceedings and the concerns of the residents of Erris over the project, it says.
"Due to an oversight attendees were not informed that the seminar was being filmed. However, copies of the video were subsequently made available to the public on request. The Department's sole motivation in hosting and recording the event was to gain a better understanding of local concerns regarding the project," it says.
On purchase of Coillte Teoranta land for the terminal, it says that this is a matter between Coillte Teo and Enterprise Energy Ireland. On the issue of transferring ministerial functions to allow for compulsory acquisition orders, these related to upstream pipeline networks which are used in connection with oil and gas production fields such as Corrib and Kinsale.
Additional functions provided the Minister with an effective framework for regulating provision of such pipeline networks.
The Green Party had called for an investigation into all aspects of the Corrib deal, following the Channel 4 report.
