Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the review. Will the Tánaiste indicate the timescale relating to it? I agree with what he said in respect of increased globalisation, interdependency, etc. However, I do not know if he is over-egging the pudding in the context of his statement to the effect that "The Oireachtas has traditionally played an important role in shaping our foreign policy and holding the Government to account". If we do have an influence, that is nice but there is a view among Members of the Oireachtas that the Houses and many of their committees do not have much of a say in respect of this matter. This committee is probably somewhat different in that it operates more on the basis of consensus and that it tends not to have to resort to votes.

There must be change in terms of what is happening in regard to the House itself. One concern that has come up many times is EU scrutiny and we have still not got it right. I accept there have been recent changes but there is so much information coming across our desks that we must focus on the issue. It is extremely worrying for anyone who is interested in the European Parliament that a recent survey on the recognition of EU Members of Parliament in Dublin revealed that less than 20% of those surveyed recognised their MEPs. That is a weakness and the matter must be addressed in the overall context of foreign affairs and the importance of such institutions.

The increased militarisation of the EU and Ireland’s perceived decreased neutrality are of concern, in particular the continued use of Shannon Airport, for example, by the Canadian military, and countries using it while in transit to areas of conflict around the world. Northern Ireland comes under the Tánaiste’s foreign affairs remit but I am not comfortable discussing the matter in such a context. Outstanding issues arise in terms of the Good Friday Agreement and the peace dividend. Many people feel they have not seen the peace dividend. Difficulties still remain in terms of dealing with the past. Other outstanding issues that remain to be addressed include human rights and trying to build an inclusive society.

In terms of Irish influence, the Chairman referred to the expansion of the influence of embassy personnel. It would be helpful to the discussion if we had a map showing the location of embassies and the personnel located in them. Usually, one only gets a sense of an area if one visits it. In some cases one individual can cover an area involving millions of people.

We have seen the positive influence of the Friends of Ireland in terms of The Gathering. Goodwill is evident from the Irish diaspora and others who have links with this country and want it to develop. Such an approach could be developed by the Department and the Government as a whole. They are some of the areas we must examine. We must be flexible and adapt on certain issues but we must take a strong stance on other issues. People seek leadership that does not come from the United States. They want small, independent countries and the EU to take a stance in conflicts around the world, including the Middle East. I welcome the discussion, which has been a long time coming. I hope the Tánaiste will take on board the views of all parties on the issue.