Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, the results of the oil well drilling in Drumbeg did not yield any hydrocarbons and the well has been closed and capped, so there was no 5 billion barrels of oil.

I absolutely agree with the science and the majority of Members of this House agree with the science. Listening to the contributions last week, there is clearly an appetite for a larger debate at committee on this issue. Deputies Stanley, Dooley and Lawless in particular, while supporting the Bill on Second Stage, also acknowledged there needed to be a wider debate on the whole area. I hope the committee takes up the opportunity for that debate on energy security. We want to see a reduction in usage of fossil fuels and that should be the principle of the House. However, banning offshore will not reduce usage, which has to be achieved by a change in mindset, a change in policy and continued investment by the State in the whole area of retrofitting and so on, as we are doing. The Bill put forward by the Deputy will not change the usage.

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