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

I am sharing with Deputy Murphy. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I am increasingly smelling a rat in this discussion and it may be a green one. The reason I say that is because when one listens to what this motion is trying to do, it is telling us that it needs to decommission the infrastructure from the now-exhausted pipeline near the Old Head of Kinsale but at the same time wants to leave what it calls the “umbilicals”, that is, the pipelines in the ocean, to be considered for other options because it may be more environmentally damaging to remove them. I accept that. It may be more environmentally damaging to remove those umbilicals but the other option still remains. In the same week that we are passing this motion, the Government and specifically, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has given the go-ahead to Providence Resources to proceed with the next level of surveying works at Barrymore, which is in the same area as the exhausted pipeline near the Old Head of Kinsale.

We have just heard a very eloquent speech from Deputy Matthews of the Green Party on how we will never again drill for oil and gas and how we have done a wonderful thing by banning it in the last week or so. Yes, we have, and it is wonderful that it is banned for the future but the Minister also has the power not to issue the sort of licences for Barrymore and not to provide any more extensions or renewals. It is clear in the legislation that he has the power to do that but he chooses to allow Barrymore to proceed to the next level of drilling for oil and gas in the same region as we are decommissioning Kinsale. That is why I smell a green rat. We cannot speak from both sides of our mouth by saying that we are banning the development and drilling for oil and gas in one piece of legislation and then allow it to proceed with another order at the stroke of a pen. What I do agree with the Green Party Ministers on is that the next generation and the current one, the Fridays For Future Ireland generation, will not put up with this nonsense. The best thing we can do with oil and gas is to keep it in the ground because the science tells us - just because the Green Party is in Government does not change the science - that 80% of known fossil fuels have to remain in the ground if we are to save the planet and people who inhabit it. Nothing changes. The Green Party seems to live on planet “B”, which is a pretend planet on which it can do both. One cannot do both.

See this speech in context