Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms O'Connell and Ms Flynn and offer my congratulations on the report and its findings. The report is clear and concise in its stats and graphics. Last year was an election year and the number of MEPs was reduced to a smaller contingent of 11. If someone is out sick, which I understand is the case at the moment, our attendance is skewed disproportionately. Perhaps this might explain the findings or maybe there should be an addendum denoting it.

There seem to be discrepancies in the number of speeches corresponding with the number of MEPs. The number increased in 2011 to 686 but fell again in 2012. Was there a reason for this? The number of written questions fell from 1,067 in 2010 to 384 in 2013. What was the reason for this? Were extra research staff available to MEPs? Was there a change in procedures? The number of opinions fell from nine in 2010 to three in 2013 and zero in 2014. What was the reason for this?