Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

There is no magic wand that we can wave over the ocean to make millions of barrels of oil appear. It is a myth presented in this debate that our economic difficulties will be abated by the proposals in the motion. It is disingenuous for Sinn Féin to place before the House a motion which states there is oil and gas worth €700 billion off the coast of Ireland. An exploratory study was done which indicated that this quantity of oil is potentially available in Irish waters. It is inaccurate to claim it is in our waters because the figure is notional and based on an estimate.

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