Last week, on 11 July, the country was amazed to discover a wealth of historic sites surrounding Newgrange in Brú na Bóinne. On that same day, Providence Resources completed its dangerous seismic survey of the Newgrange Prospect off the south-west coast of Ireland. That area, with its many blue whales, fin whales, dolphins, coral reefs, mackerel, tuna and many other fish species, has been subjected to seismic testing at least three times in the past few years without a single environmental impact assessment or stage 2 appropriate assessment. These tests took place in 2013, 2014 and 2016 and now again in 2018. No cumulative assessment of the damage has ever been conducted.

This time last year, the Government granted permissions to drill for oil off the south-west coast in the ecologically sensitive suite of the Porcupine Basin just as the Dáil closed for the summer recess. Once again as per usual, oil companies exploited the lack of democratic accountability for their own gain. The new archaeological discovery at Brú na Bóinne was due to the most extreme heatwave Ireland has experienced since 1976. It was a happy accident in an uneasy period of beautiful sunshine but severe drought, just one more addition to the freak weather events that have become a regular occurrence in recent years. I want the relevant Minister to give a commitment to this House that no drilling will happen off the Irish coast this summer. I want him to pay heed to the passing of our motion for marine protected areas and state that he will not be held in thrall by lobbyists throwing every penny of PR money that they can at the Department, securing nothing for the Irish State but the destruction of our environment and our children's future.