Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I commend my colleagues, the Independent Deputies in the Technical Group, for tabling this motion, which my party is happy to support. The principal clause in the motion concerns what our Independent colleagues are seeking, namely, 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. I agree with that and it is important that we debate it as a principle in looking for oil.

Recently I read an interesting book, The Prize by Daniel Yergin, on the history of oil in the past 150 odd years since it was first discovered and developed in Pennsylvania and Pittsburg and obviously in Baccau in the Middle East and beyond the North Sea. That was an interesting read on the evolution that occurred during that time. This new resource that was discovered, this remarkable energy dense, transportable liquid, which transformed civilisation was initially there for all to grab. It was a Klondike situation where people kept whatever they could get. As the history of oil evolved one trend was clear, that the governments and the people who owned that land where the oil or gas was found gradually recognised if was their natural resource rather than the corporation that happened to strike a well and find it.

During the 20th century the ownership of that resource was increasingly recognised as belonging to the people by gradual stakes, 20% initially, then 50% which was a landmark decision until one reached the examples in Norway and elsewhere where it was fully under the ownership of the people. It is remarkable and sad that in that history of a greater evolving recognition, even by the oil and gas companies, of a share of that resource going to the local population, our history in oil and gas exploration has gone in the other direction. It has been well documented and outlined by others as to how a former Minister, Mr. Ray Burke, and the Taoiseach were active in allowing and engineering for that reversal of what has been the international trend. That position should be reversed again.

The Minister will say that our prospecting in terms of oil and gas discoveries have been poor and that is the reason for the giveaway that has been allowed. The circumstances are changing, as Deputy Catherine Murphy has outlined. We are in a different exploration world from the one that existed five years ago in terms of the need and urgency for companies to explore. I turned to advice in this area from Colin Campbell, a former geologist, who worked for many years in the Porcupine Basin and the other seas off the west coast looking for oil and gas and who takes a neutral independent position since he is retired. It is unfortunate, having listened to his view, that we do not have extensive resources and that we are geologically unlucky. We may find other pockets of oil or gas — hopefully he will be proved wrong — for the economic health of the country, but while there are possible reserves out there, there are not huge fields yet to be discovered.

I contend that what is out there should be developed in a manner that benefits the Irish people foremost and not the interests of an offshore exploration company. If we reassert that right to ownership and to a percentage share from such resources it will not dissuade companies in the current climate, where there is such urgency for them, to replace the dwindling resources they have. The current rate is, in effect, a giveaway. I do not believe that a fair share for the Irish people, in the current climate, would be inappropriate or would dissuade companies from exploring for the limited resources that exist.

It was interesting to hear Deputy Catherine Murphy speak about the concept of peak oil, an issue that is close to my party's heart, and draw attention to this issue in terms of energy resources and how we need to change every decision in Government on the basis that we are facing a geological reality of dwindling availability of such resources within my lifetime. The central message of the Forfás report, published two weeks ago, while it contained certain analyses on the exposure of this country, was lost in the separate media argument about whether we should go nuclear, and it did not address the fundamental issue. The fundamental issue for us is that we have to change every aspect of Government policy in recognising that gas and oil will be increasingly less available and that we are remarkably exposed.

On that basis we would welcome the development of the Corrib gas field. I am surprised there has not been more discussion on that issue this evening given that it is a topical issue on the day the Minister has, at last, published the Advantica report. It is the major gas resource that we have to bring ashore. It is topical that report is available today and I have a chance to comment on it. I have been frantic trying to read through the 170 odd pages to form an assessment of it. The consistent message from every page is that the local people were right. The issues of concern they mentioned, that this was a unique high-pressured pipeline and, therefore, should be treated with absolute care as opposed to the way it was treated by the Government, is borne out by this report of independent experts. Their concerns about the umbilical pipe going so close to the existing pipe are borne out in the report which describes as highly unusual the lack of information, lack of monitoring and lack of management by the Government.

It is clear from this report that the local residents were correct. What are the consequences of that? The main point which came through to me in this whole sorry saga of the development of the Corrib gas field is that the Government, being so closely wedded to the corporate short-term interests of a company in whose interests it is to bring gas ashore as quickly and as easily as possible, missed the bigger picture. It did not act as the arbiter and the representative of the interests of the people. The failure of the Government to monitor and set proper standards for the oil and gas companies has brought us to this difficult local position. It is that same attitude of the Government that it has to do whatever the corporate world says it should do that is outlined again in the Minister's amendment.

Our responsibility, first and foremost, is to the long-tern interest of and benefit to the Irish people. I do not believe the licensing arrangements and the management of the gas and other oil projects on hand do not fulfil that simple criteria set out in the motion.

I commend my Independent colleagues for tabling the motion. The Advantica report is worthy of a debate given what it states about the Corrib gas pipeline. It is only by proper open discussion, which the Government failed to allow, that we can lead to a proper resolution of the whole issue. I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on the report and commend the motion to the House.

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