Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would not disagree with anything Deputy Smith has said. I share some of his concerns, as do certain European member states, on the dispute mechanism. However, we must remember that this agreement is far from being concluded. We are currently engaged in the 12th round of talks and a mechanism has been proposed by the European Union on the investment courts but we are a long way off an agreement.

I absolutely concur with Deputy Smith on the protection of agriculture standards in particular. We have exacting food health, food provision and food production standards. There is no way we would want those in any way diminished. Agriculture is a key component of our export strategy. I totally agree with the points made by Deputy Smith, which have now been put on the record. However, an agreement is still a long way off.

On the procedure around the negotiation of TTIP, for an association agreement, it is not just about trade as we are talking about it today. There is also political dialogue and co-operation given TTIP is a trade agreement. Mr. Karl Finnegan, who represents the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, is with us here today and if the committee would like a little insight - after the meeting - on where negotiations are from a technical point of view, we would be happy to facilitate that. In political terms, we are a long way from an agreement and we all, as parliamentarians, have concerns about the dispute mechanism and the power of corporations relative to member states.