Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose the joint committee should submit a negative reasoned opinion in respect of Europe taking control of this issue. I believe Ireland should have a spatial plan and have no problem with what the Departments are doing. I am absolutely 100% in favour of it but my point is that if members are considering this issue in Ireland's national context, America and Britain are important. Consequently, bilateral arrangements with those two countries would be a lot more important than having in place some arrangement that tied us up with all sorts of issues with which we do not have any real connection in the Mediterranean, the Baltic or all sorts of other places.