Mr. Dáithí O'Ceallaigh:

I thank the Senator. Before I come to his comments, I did not respond when I was asked earlier about the question of parliamentary scrutiny of EU legislation. That is critical. We could usefully look at the way in which the Finns scrutinise European legislation. They have a well-organised parliamentary system of scrutiny which has an effect on government policy. The Finnish Government is then held responsible to the Legislature. We in Ireland possibly do not have sufficient scrutiny of European legislation and so on by Parliament and it is all the more necessary now that the British have pulled out of the EU because, in a way, we were hiding behind British coat-tails. I happen to know the Finnish system because I lived and worked in Finland and it is very good.

It might surprise Senator McDowell when I say that I agree with everything he said.