Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann, concerned that Ireland's natural wealth should fully benefit the citizens of this State, notes (in this State):

—that oil and gas (hydrocarbon) taxation is seriously flawed and outdated;

—that our hydrocarbon legislation covered by the Finance Act 1992 which allows for a 25% corporate tax is the lowest in the world;

—that no royalties or other production related levies are demanded, with 100% write-offs for the oil companies' activities that can effectively wipe out any tax take to the State;

—that we continue to issue frontier licences to the oil companies for not less than 15 years;

—that there is no onus on the oil companies to use an Irish service port for their operations or to use Irish jobs, goods or services;

—the subservient attitude of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and his Department- PAD (petroleum affairs division) to the multinational oil companies;

—the meaningless public consultation process (strategic environmental assessment) announced by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources under EU Directive 2001/42/ EC (11 April 2006) (SI 435 of 2004 and SI 436 of 2004) with rushed timescale (25 May 2006) required prior to the next allocation of licences for offshore oil and gas exploration, and designed to exclude the public rather than include them;

and now calls for:

—recognition of the fundamental principle that oil and gas reserves within the control of the State belong to the Irish people and must be recovered and used in a way that benefits the great majority of the population rather than powerful corporate interests;

—the immediate scrapping of the "giveaway" 1992 legislation with the re-introduction of a realistic tax take, with royalties, and an automatic "stake" of 50% in any oil or gas discovery;

—the establishment of an independent oil and gas inspectorate to monitor closely all multinational oil company operations to ensure that this State fully benefits from all oil and gas exploration activities;

—a complete freeze on the issuing of any further exploration licences pending proper consultation with the Irish people (and until all relevant environmental data are gathered and assessed);

—proper and comprehensive assessments, including meaningful consultation with and representation of communities affected by oil and gas development;

—no more frontier licences to be issued — do it a better way;

—an independent official on behalf of the people of Ireland be installed on all multinational oil rigs to monitor oil and gas operations in Irish waters; and

—the establishment of a publicly owned gas and oil exploration and recovery agency to investigate the exploration and recovery of hydrocarbon resources without being dependent on multinational oil and gas conglomerates;

Nothing in this motion contradicts the reality of global warming and the finite nature of hydrocarbon resources making it imperative that the State invests massively in alternative sources of energy which do not damage the environment and are sustainable and available in Ireland.

I wish to share my time with Deputies Finian McGrath, Harkin, James Breen and Healy.

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