Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses who have contributed. I wish to zero in very briefly on what Mr. McGrane has told us about his proposal for a collective think-in on the flexible and imaginative solutions with which the European Union is asking Ireland to come forward. Throughout the morning I have been asking people where is this debate, who is driving it, are we depending on five civil servants in the Taoiseach's Department or is there a collective channel of communication and a national debate on what the flexible solutions are. The former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, came before the committee and spoke about a common trade area, and whether this would be North-South or east-west in nature is another day's work. The special position of Northern Ireland is hugely important for all the reasons mentioned.

I am supposed to ask a question rather than make a statement. Is this the first time Mr. McGrane has ventilated this idea in public and is he getting acceptance of it? To me, it is the most important proposal and we should begin now to focus on the positive invitation from the European Union to come up with this flexible and imaginative deal for Ireland. We just have to do it. I felt this morning, and I do not want to say anything about the previous contributions made prior to this particular session, that there is a sense of what might be termed "spectatorhood". These solutions will not come from five civil servants in three Departments.