Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I listened to the response of the Minister of State and his officials and there may be some merit in their argument. In light of the issues raised by NGOs, which are at the coalface and understand the practices that apply in these economies, and notwithstanding our commitment to sign new agreements with emerging nations and the benefits that can accrue from them for the economy, I caution the committee at this stage and ask the Minister of State to respond in writing to the questions that have been raised. We could then reflect on the response and revisit the issue on another date, rather than insisting on a debate in the Dáil at this juncture. We will adjudicate on the merits of debating the matter in the Dáil, but we need time to reflect on the Minister of State's written response.