Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will respect the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's request because it would be a tragedy if the Bill did not pass today after all the hard work.

I greatly appreciate the work of Deputy McLoughlin and his staff. Indeed new politics did work because, as Deputy Dooley said, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, both of which were preparing Bills, decided not to go with them and give their total support to what Deputy McLoughlin was doing. That is new politics working at its best.

We have a fantastic tourism product in Ireland. In our area of Roscommon, Leitrim and the west midlands we have a fantastic product with our agritourism, heritage, waterways and lakes. That is where we need to invest and develop further. My colleagues on Roscommon County Council were the first in Ireland to take the brave decision to vote to ban fracking in 2011-12. They subsequently followed it up and stuck with it in the county development plan, which was important.

The people of Leitrim and north Roscommon fought a fantastic campaign throughout. It was a privilege to attend their public meetings in Carrick or wherever they were held. They educated many of us. It is fantastic that what they set out to achieve has been achieved.

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