Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in and congratulate them for publishing this report. It reminded me of what can happen when a book is published and the person reading it is worried he or she might be mentioned in it. He or she looks at the index to see if his or her name is there and depending on the book, he or she is either disappointed or relieved one way or another. Because we are the subject of this it is understandable we would all have an interest in the references made to this committee. It is good to see this sort of detail and how the different mechanisms of the EU engage in their work.

The focus on parliamentary questions, and the comparison made with the Dáil, is extreme. Members of the European Parliament may well use correspondence to elicit answers. They are parliamentarians who represent far bigger constituencies than any of us so the level of engagement we have with individuals, and the number of questions we can generate as a result, will be always higher for us in the Dáil. I would caution reading too much into the use of parliamentary questions in the European Parliament.

There was a reference to the fact that most of our MEPs are rapporteurs and draftsmen, which are extraordinarily important jobs in all parliaments but I would suggest that as an appendix to the next report, concrete examples be given of that work so the public and the media could look at the work and see its quality. People might not readily understand what it means to be a draftsman or a rapporteur.

The poll is very well presented. The similarity between this poll and the last Eurobarometer opinion poll that was produced shows a very interesting dichotomy in opinions. It showed that, even though the level of dissatisfaction with the EU has increased, the levels of dissatisfaction with the European institutions are still lower than for their national equivalents. It is striking that when people were asked what level they thought the response to the crisis was at, the highest number said that the best response to our crisis is at European level rather than at national level. It shows that even though there are growing levels of dissatisfaction, a lot of people still understand the best level of response to many of our difficulties is European rather than national.

I finished a book lately called "The Widest Circle", a collection of essays dedicated to Michael Sweetman, who was a very prominent member of Fine Gael in the 1960s and 1970s.

I was not aware of the role he played in the European Movement or that he was a founder member. Mr. Sweetman died tragically in an aeroplane crash shortly after the referendum in which he played such a major role was passed. It is nice to have representatives of the European Movement before us as it reminds me of the illustrious provenance of the organisation and the quality of people who have contributed to the European debate at different stages in Ireland's history.

The European Movement has published a great report. I was pleased to note the coverage it received in The Irish Times. The reason some people have a difficulty with it is that these issues matter. They should be reported and should generate debate. I wish an equivalent report would be published for the Dáil and Seanad.