andMr. Barrett asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will make a statement on the findings of the inter-departmental committee which has examined the proposals for production platform sites on the coast.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Production Platform Sites.
5.
I have received a report from the Industrial Development Authority regarding the construction of oil and gas production platforms. This is an internal report prepared for my use. I do not propose to publish it and I would not consider it appropriate to make a statement on it.
I might remind the Deputies that, as I have already announced, I propose to introduce shortly legislation to provide for the control and regulation of the construction of production platforms.
Would the Minister not agree that not to publish the report is scarcely the right approach in view of the fact that these production platforms are of immense importance to our economy, and will be over the next decade or two, and public debate will be stifled more than it might otherwise be if these reports were published?
I do not agree. I recognise the importance of the platform construction work and, as I say, there will be a Bill under which the House will have ample opportunity to debate this. I will provide as much information as possible, but I assure the Deputy and the House that the report referred to contains a large amount of information of a confidential nature.
The Deputy understands the oil industry and the oil platform construction industry as well as I understand them. He knows that the possibility of speculation and of improper commercial activity in this country is great and I am absolutely satisfied that the publication of the report would be detrimental to us.
Would the Minister not agree, particularly in the light of his reply, that it is likely that no production platform will be built here and that legislation to control the construction of these platforms may well be only nugatory? Would it not be better that if not all of the report should be published, some of it would be published, leaving out the confidential remarks in relation to certain firms?
It is not a question of certain firms. I understand the substance of what the Deputy says but I hope to have the Bill in the near future and at that time it will probably be appropriate to provide some of the information in the report.
Is the Minister not in a position to guarantee that no platform will ever be built here as Marathon or the other companies are likely to decide to build them in Scotland or elsewhere?
I could not give a guarantee as to any of the hypothetical questions raised by the Deputy. Indeed, I could not guarantee that this Dáil will exist tomorrow. Nobody could give such guarantees.
Would the Minister not agree that it would be a criminal tragedy if production platforms for offshore oil work were not built here? There are various sites on the south and west coasts in particular which are admirably suited to this purpose. These are areas which are very much underdeveloped and in which there are very poor prospects of employment.
It would be a criminal tragedy if modules or desks were not to be built in Ireland but it is not necessarily in the common interest that all parts of platforms should be built here.