Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will begin by responding to what the Deputy has said about "interested parties". The Oireachtas committee spent six or seven months on this issue and prepared a report. I am taking the recommendations in the report as the basis of the way to go forward. The entire thrust of policy is to generate more offshore economic activity and increase the offshore exploration rate. We need certainty for that reason. Up to now, we have simply not attracted the level of economic activity one would expect. The expectations of the early 1970s have not been realised. We have not had an oil find. As I said in response to Deputy Boyd Barrett earlier, I find it difficult to understand why I am accused of giving away our oil, given that we have not found any yet.

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