Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

It should not be concluded, on the basis that it takes me a long time to get to the point, that I will not get to it. I have been here before.

In future, the licensing regime should have regard to sustainability, and it should be something we can all stand over. I met with exploration personnel, as I am sure everybody else did, and with Shell. They all agree that the licensing regime and taxation should be something we can all stand over. That would be very beneficial.

We have reached a juncture. I referred before to an important facet of the energy and telecommunications area. Many people have health concerns backed up to some extent by expert opinion, or which may be countered by expert opinion. That creates a problem. There is conflicting opinion from experts on both sides of an argument. What do we do? This is a point where we must reach a decision. Sadly and unfortunately, ordinary human beings must make a decision.

One particular case I remember related to a toxic incinerator in my area, which I opposed. I believe I was right to oppose it, although many people did not give me any credit for opposing it. This was despite my attending the oral hearing, making submissions and being questioned by counsel for the other side. Nobody told me afterwards I was great and had done a good job. I thought I did but that is neither here nor there. We were confronted by experts with conflicting views on both sides. We mere mortals had to come to a decision which we felt to be right and that decision has stood the test of time.

If the legislation does not resolve this problem now we will have more serious problems in the future. We will have problems with other projects such as transmission lines and radio masts, some of which already cause problems. The Minister's Department needs to make some response on health and safety, including medical evidence on the health hazards of living under or close to transmission lines or gas pipelines. The Minister needs to make a clear emphatic statement over which he can stand, to the effect that he is satisfied all the procedures have been followed so that people can rest easily. If he cannot do that, we will visit this problem again and again.

See this speech in context