Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputies will notice that there are no Report Stage amendments in my name. I submitted four amendments prior to Committee Stage, but they were ruled out of order because they were deemed to be in conflict with the principles of the Bill. I understand that ruling. I tabled the amendments in an effort to mitigate the worst consequences of this legislation. Given that I believe this legislation is fundamentally wrong, it is natural that the amendments were in conflict with the principles of it. I believe the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, knows this in his heart. At a time when the State is almost bankrupt, it is proposed to sell off one of the few State-owned, taxpayer-funded assets that is making money.

Why are we doing this? It is to pay off bankers and their allies. On the Second Stage debate at the Oireachtas Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on 1 October the Minister said, "We have never had a forced sale in these circumstances since 1922". He is right. I have no doubt that were it three years ago and he was sitting over here, he would vigorously and rightly call on Government to stand up to the financial bullies and to seek to have the Bill thrown out. We cannot make good legislation out of bad legislation by amending a line here and a section there.

Deputy Naughten's amendment calls for a gas pipeline for the north west. He is right - we must have that. The situation is unfair and unjust. If one looks at any infrastructural map they would see that the north and north west is deprived and that we do not have an infrastructure that allows us to compete with the rest of the nation. Businesses and householders are at a serious disadvantage because of the lack of access. Let me be clear, lest anyone be in any doubt about my position: the people of the west and north west will not be bribed or bullied into allowing fracking in the region in return for any gas pipeline. Our right to access gas stands as a right. We will not allow that to be used as a trade-off and for the region to be destroyed by allowing hydraulic fracturing. That will not happen under my watch.

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