HL Deb 26 July 1979 vol 401 cc2138-9WA
The Marquess of SLIGO

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, on Lord Carrington's recent visit to Mr. O'Kennedy and Mr. Lynch in Dublin, he gave a reason why England alone among the EEC countries was blocking Eire's application for money for oil exploration on the Porcupine Shelf.

Lord CARRINGTON

When this was last discussed within the Community, the United Kingdom was not the only EEC country to maintain a reserve on the general proposal for Community support for hydrocarbons exploration under which the Irish application has been put forward. When this was raised with me during my visit to Dublin I suggested that, following the recent rise in oil prices, funds for such exploration are likely to be more readily available from private industry.