Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

Ba mhaith liom leasú Fhianna Fáil a mholadh: go gcuirfear an cheist seo faoi bhráid choiste na Dála mar ní féidir é seo a phlé in uair go leith. Nuair a tháinig an Dáil seo le chéile, gealladh dúinn ag an Rialtas go mbeadh bealach nua polaitíochta ann, bealach a bheadh oscailte agus a thógfadh isteach Baill an Tí seo chun scrúdú a dhéanamh trí choistí ar mhórfhadhbanna agus ar mhórcheisteanna an lae. Mar sin, iarraim ar Shinn Féin agus ar an Rialtas glacadh leis an mholadh atá déanta ag Fianna Fáil go gcuirfear an rud seo ar fad faoi bhráid coiste le plé go mion le gur féidir linn ní amháin dul ina luí orainn féin ach chomh maith leis sin dul ina luí ar an bpobal i gcoitinne maidir leis na téarmaí atá ar fáil do thoraíocht ola agus gáis ar an gcósta.

I wish to recommend Fianna Fáil's amendment to the House. Our amendment recognises the fact that the Government will leave the Chamber convinced that it is in the right. I do not believe Sinn Féin has been persuaded by the Government's position. This entire matter should be referred to the Dáil committee relevant to the Minister's Department when it is established and should be examined over a fixed period of six months. During that period, the committee should be given the necessary resources to allow it to invite whomever it wishes to come before it. In addition, the Department's analysis relating to this matter should be made available in order that we might achieve a meeting of minds.

No matter what the Government says or believes - when we were in Government we took a fairly similar line - there is a perception that our national resources have been made available to bidders on very favourable terms. I have heard both sides of the argument. I attended a meeting in Galway last year when we debated this issue at length. If this Dáil is to mean anything, surely this is an ideal subject to put before a committee, bring in all the people who have different views on it, hear them out, let the committee put a report to Government and ask it to act on that report within three months.

I cannot understand what anyone has to lose by agreeing to this. Sinn Féin Deputies, rather than having a day of glory in the House and making fixed speeches, would get an opportunity to test the theories they have put forward and see if they hold water and if we are selling our resources at bargain basement prices. They believe we are. I believe none of us knows until we examine all the various ideas put forward in detail. Only then, when we have informed ourselves, will the House be in a position to decide whether the terms are right.

I was amazed at tonight's speeches. If Fianna Fáil Deputies had given those speeches at any time in the past ten years, the members of the Government would have lambasted us. They would have said we had sold our birthright. There would have been dark mutterings about certain politicians having given away our national resources.

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