Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis na Seanadóirí agus na Teachtaí fá choinne na gceisteanna suntasacha agus tábhachtacha a bhí acu inniu. Gabhaim buíochas arís le Mr. O'Sullivan as ucht a bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht inniu agus fá choinne na freagraí cuimsitheacha, an t-eolas agus an léargas a thug sé. I thank Mr. O'Sullivan. Members will concur with me in our total appreciation for his being part of this debate and also for his comprehensive answers and information today.

Exploratory talks for this agreement started over 14 years ago and there has been much information and toing and froing about it. We are doing our duty as a Parliament to complete this important phase and that is reflected in the number of committees within the Houses of the Oireachtas that want to participate in and contribute to this debate. Upwards of nine committees want to participate in this particular topic. That is an indication of how seriously we are taking our democratic duty. There is a lot of road to go yet as regards getting more information and bringing in legal experts. Some members are anxious for that to happen and we will have further presentations next week and the week after. We will work throughout Easter on this.

Arís, I thank Mr. O'Sullivan for his time, information and insights and for being part of this debate today. It is the first of our public sessions and our committee will focus on three areas. I acknowledge my colleagues and particularly the leadership of Deputy Howlin in conducting that scoping exercise over the last number of weeks to ensure we focus on our competencies and what role we have in holding this issue to account. Arís, go raibh maith agaibh uilig. Our committee is here for Mr. O'Sullivan if he is available at any other stage.

There was a question that Mr. O'Sullivan did not have an answer for, which was asked by Senator Keogan, and perhaps we might engage with him to get an answer on it.