Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

The plan for enterprise in the north west involves ten billion barrels of gas, which is worth €50 billion to €60 billion. It is a lot of money which could do much for our roads. It could do much for our country generally instead of going to places like Norway. I do not begrudge the Norwegian people anything but they have gone further towards nationalising their natural resources than we have. We have just given it all away. Currently, there is no EPA legislation that can stop what is happening. Those involved have not applied for any EPA licence so far. We may be witnessing the silent theft of our natural resources. What is being established there is a sub-sea system that will syphon all the resources away through a thin-gauge pipe. Our future resources will disappear through a pipe to anywhere and everywhere except to those for whom it could be of real benefit, and for what cause?

If we ever get that gas, we will pay the same price as if we were getting it from Russia, the United States or Norway. We will pay the market price for it because that is the law governing the situation. It is a great scandal. The unwanted noise we hear from Shell's cheer leaders in the Government parties and in Fine Gael is trying to drown out the desperate cries of the ordinary decent people of Rossport. It has to end.

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