Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not take my full five minute allocation to ask the questions, so the witnesses can take as much time as is allowed to answer. I think this session is about us as a committee listening and taking in what the witnesses are telling us in terms of the global crisis, the necessary financing needed to address it internationally, and what we need to do to do our fair share. I will start my questions with Mr. McEvilly on the oil and gas treaty that he mentioned. I will preface this by saying I am against any further oil and gas exploration. It is often heard said, certainly in the Dáil Chamber and in commentary in the media, that we need to ramp up our own oil and gas exploration. Barryroe, which is just off west Cork where I come from, is often referenced as the answer to our energy crisis. These are other people's comments, not mine, just to clarify that again. What does Mr. McEvilly say to that kind of commentary, that we need to accelerate oil and gas exploration off the Irish coast?