Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I found that fascinating. My involvement in the foreign affairs committee is mainly in the area of human rights rather than in trade and business but I was very interested in what Mr. Murray had to say. A gentleman spoke recently to the committee about trade with Arab countries. Does Mr. Murray know any organisation that seeks to build trade with such countries, or is this more of the lack of joined-up thinking? I was interested in what Mr. Murray observed about Irish universities. Perhaps he might outline this idea beyond the language aspect, where we fall behind, and might make a suggestion. I live not far from DCU and know what it has been trying to do in its language courses.

To return to my human rights hat, there are concerns with some countries in Asia that have appalling standards, and we are aware of abuses of human rights. I would like to see some recognition of this when we do business and trade with these countries. Perhaps these aspects could be of mutual benefit and complement each other.