John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is the second obligation that is the tricky one to enforce and police, so we have clarified that. One of the strongest points, among the very strong points the witnesses made this evening, was the Government has really emphasised in the past number of weeks and months that we are a rules-based country, that we depend on international law and rules-based international order - particularly as a small country - to get along and not to be essentially bullied and for the world to function, whether it is in terms of politics, culture and trade. I made a note or what Mr. Liston said when he stated that international law depends on states employing it. Its integrity is dependent on states implementing it.

It is a powerful argument among many powerful arguments. As a committee we are beginning to look at what will be in our report. That leads me to my final question. I will give the witnesses two minutes each. The final report is light enough as it is. That is because it is a pre-legislative report. It is the heads. We hope the report we send provides sufficient food for thought for the Minister and his officials to flesh out before it comes back to Committee. I am not going to ask the witnesses what they would like to see in it. What work do they see this committee having to do in preparing a report?