Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

To bring the proceedings to a conclusion, I thank the last two speakers, Deputies Peter Kelly and Mattie McGrath, for bringing a strong business perspective to the debate. Often, people from a business background are not represented in the House and that viewpoint is not represented in discussions and deliberations here. I praise Deputy Mattie McGrath for being such a vocal opponent of over-regulation and excessive bureaucracy because it is a major challenge for us as we face out of recession and into recovery. We must disassemble much of the bureaucracy we created in the past 20 to 30 years in aid of and as assistance to our business community to create more exports, jobs and investment in Ireland.

It is important this measure is seen in the context of making it easier for people to explore in Irish waters. We have created barriers to people coming in here to explore Irish waters. As the Minister of State with responsibility for this area, I am most keen that we are in a position to vigorously promote the possibility of potential for exploration in Irish waters, following the passage of this legislation and other measures. As the Minister of State with responsibility for this area, I would not feel comfortable promoting investment in the offshore licensing scene in Ireland precisely because we are perceived, reputationally, internationally and otherwise, as a bad place to invest. This is due mainly to regulatory and bureaucratic controversies and the civil protests that accompanied the Corrib projects. This has done enormous damage to our economy and to the potential to develop the economy, particularly the enormous resources we have off the coastline in exploration opportunities.

Great damage has been done by the Corrib experience. I am not telling any secrets out of school in saying that a number of businesses have indicated that they would not compete for Irish exploration licences because of what they read and heard about the Corrib project. With this item of legislation, it is important that we rationalise the situation with regard to safety requirements for those who wish to explore Irish waters.

I welcome the positive contributions of Deputies Simon Coveney and Liz McManus. It was interesting to hear Deputy McManus refer to the cumbersome bureaucracy that accompanies much of the permissions required in this field. This is a new thing, coming as she does from the left persuasion.

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