People living in Ireland will now be safeguarded from the negative effects of hydraulic fracking, after a bill was passed to ban fracking.

The Bill, put forward by Fine Gael TD Tony McLouglin, will now be signed into law by the President.

Ireland will now join three other EU member states in banning the practice on land.

Mr McLoughlin said: "Since I introduced my Bill to this House on 08 June 2016 at the First Stage, it has progressed at a rapid pace. This is a very necessary law that has been heavily scrutinised and continually improved throughout its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas.

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"The progress of this Bill this year shows the concept of 'new politics' can work very well when all sides of the house engage pro-actively together.

"This law will mean communities in the West and North West of Ireland will be safeguarded from the negative effects of hydraulic fracking. Counties such as Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Clare will no longer face negative effects like those seen in cities and towns in the United States, where many areas have now decided to implement similar bans to the one before us.

"Fracking must be seen as a serious public health and environmental concern for Ireland."

(CD/MH)