Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was asking my senior colleague here a question. I thought my voice was sufficiently low. I apologise.

I welcome Mr. Temple-Smithson, and congratulate him on his permanent appointment in January. As Deputy Crowe said, there is a general information and democratic deficit as regards European affairs. Apart from this committee, and the good work the Chairman has been doing in meeting many different people and bringing them in to the committee and so on, there is even a problem within parliament, aside from the Brexit issue. Brexit is something the witness can hang much of his programme on. Irish people instinctively feel European, as opposed to being British or whatever. While they are our great friends and all the rest of it, and we have a long association with them, we are going to be on the other side of the table, unfortunately, in these negotiations. It would be wonderful if we could work out a bilateral arrangement with them and have it accepted by the EU. I would say that anything that the witness is doing, either with the parliament or with the public, he can build it on Brexit. It is so concerning to all citizens and to parliamentarians that it is going to be dominant, possibly for the next few years. There will be no divorce for two years. Britain are going to remain members of the European Union and presumably or hopefully after that there be a transition arrangement. I urge the witness to do anything he can do to build better cohesion and provide more information and better involvement in the legislative cycle at European level by involving Brexit in it some way. The more, the better.