Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

While I welcome the Minister of State's appearance in the Chamber to discuss this issue, I am disappointed he has stated it is not about declaring Ireland to be a fracking free zone, as it is. Carbon fuels are a finite resource and at some point the supply in the ground will be exhausted. The sooner this is accepted the better and the sooner this becomes obvious to exploration companies, the sooner alternatives will be suggested. It is not permissible to destroy the environment and the Earth to the point of no return only to then accept all the fuel is gone and we have to find an alternative. This will happen until such time as governments state enough is enough, which would force investment in alternative energy sources. If the government of a small island such as Ireland which, because of its greenness and tourism potential, is synonymous with respect for the environment is not prepared to do this, we have much to learn.

The Minister of State is the kind of campaigning Minister who could take the bull by the horns and turn it around. He could stand out across the world, were he prepared to take this decision. I implore him not to be driven by certain individuals within his Department who have a view that this would be good for the country from a commercial perspective. The argument is that as Ireland is going through difficult economic circumstances, it should try to exploit and explore the potential to be found in the environment in this regard. Even were we to destroy the environment, we would ultimately reach a point at which no more mineral resources were available. We must, therefore, be bold and brave and take a long-term view. I ask the Minister of State to give further consideration to this issue which I acknowledge is one that will require a whole of government approach and thought process. He certainly should not rule out the principle of making Ireland a fracking free zone.

See this speech in context