Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an finné as teacht anseo inniu agus as a chuid fianaise. I greatly welcome the evidence which the delegates have provided. One of my greatest fears with respect to the TTIP is the complete secrecy in which the process is being carried out and the lack of debate and information among the public in that regard. The European Commission has met about 600 lobbyist groups throughout Europe, 88% of which, I believe, have been private companies lobbying the EU. Have any of the delegates' organisations had an opportunity to meet the Commission and discuss their fears and details in that regard?

There is talk about the TTIP being a major boon to Irish enterprise and jobs but the Centre for Economic Policy Research, CEPR, study indicated that ten times more benefit will go to foreign direct investment rather than small businesses and that in six of the eight areas it discussed, there would be a negative effect on small indigenous businesses.

What is Ms Allen's business perspective on this and how the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, will affect small business?

A key issue in TTIP is non-tariff barriers, which I read as standards. My worry is that with regard to workers' rights or environmental and health and safety standards, we will not see an upward shift towards a common denominator but we will focus on a lowest common denominator. Will the witnesses speak to what elements of those standards converge within TTIP and what happens outside TTIP? We heard recently that the European Commission scuppered plans for tight control over pesticides due to the fact that US officials were seeking this common denominator when it came to standards as well.

It seems this trade agreement is a radical shift in the balance between the power of states and corporations and, in addition, between people and corporations. I say this with regard to the investor state dispute settlement, ISDS, mechanism. I am very concerned in particular about developing countries locked outside the agreement that will be at a disadvantage in many ways. Is there any way that Trócaire, for example, can quantify the material effect on those countries of TTIP? If I have a couple of minutes later, I might ask a supplementary question.