Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that it will not change the usage, and I never said it would, but it might give a kick up the backside to this Government to get on with developing renewables and alternatives because we cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels. Last year I asked whether there is an automatic entitlement for these companies to renew licences and continue exploration, and the Minister got back to me and said that, in the context of his ability to decide based on the record of companies, there is no automatic entitlement for renewal of gas or oil exploration. Yet, we have a company like Europa Oil and Gas boasting this morning that it is very excited about the potential of realising its drilling for another 5 billion barrels of oil, the same amount that would cause us to exceed our emissions for the next quarter of a century. We are dealing with science here. I am asking the Department to please be logical in its approach to this, not aspirational, as the Minister of State would accuse us of being.

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