It is good that at last the problem in relation to Marathon and the blocks they control in the Celtic Sea has been resolved. Why was there such a delay between the announcement of the agreement in July and the signing of the agreement only last week? Can the Minister give details of the drilling commitments that Marathon have entered into?

With regard to the second part of the question, I do not have that detail available to me at present but I will arrange to let the Deputy have it.

Surely it must be a fundamental part of the agreement.

With regard to the first part of the question, these negotiations were more protracted than originally envisaged and there were a number of outstanding matters to be finalised, particularly a major claim by Marathon which was removed in the context of the final negotiations. The final solution was acceptable and it was better to defer it until we were satisfied that we were able to extract the best possible arrangement in the interests of the Government.

So the announcement in July was premature.