Fine Gael Kerry TD, Brendan Griffin, has welcomed the announcement by Minister of State for Natural Resources, Fergus O'Dowd TD, that the Government has given the go-ahead for a seismic survey which will help to establish the true level of oil and gas exploration off the Irish coast.

Mr Griffin said: "This is a very positive step in terms of attracting international interest in oil and gas exploration off the Irish coast. This €20 million survey is the biggest ever study of its kind in Irish offshore resources and it should provide detailed information on the level of oil and gas potential within our reach.

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"Crucially, the information produced by this survey should give the Government and the oil and gas industry much greater confidence on the potential that exists off the Irish coast. This will play an important role in attracting international interest in exploration here. It will also feed into the Government’s decisions when evaluating future licencing opportunities.

"The survey will be undertaken by ENI Ireland BV in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. It will be conducted for 145 days, and it’s hoped that it will be completed next year."

(CD/MH)