Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One does not need to wait for oil to start flowing for the money to start flowing as in itself, exploration is a major industry that offers a massive spin-off to local communities. For example, airports, seaports - as were mentioned - and local hotels could benefit greatly from such exploration. Now is the time to be proactive in this regard and to put in place a one-stop shop for the industry to co-ordinate this effort. There is a need to be proactive in this respect and I am very hopeful that there will be major reserves that can be brought to the surface at some point. However, the very fact of finding it will cost a great deal of money. As the Minister of State indicated, there will be massive expenditure involved and Members must ensure that before any oil is brought to the surface, the people of the country will benefit from such expenditure. This is the reason the particular conduit I have proposed should be put in place for the industry. I again ask the Minister of State to reconsider the matter and to give serious consideration to this proposal.

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