Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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This is a serious matter for the committee to consider. As the Minister of State will be aware, we have an opt-out provision because the people voted for protocols on this matter in a referendum. It goes to the core of our sovereignty that we establish our own human rights criteria.

Of course, there will be various analyses of regimes. We might, for example, disapprove of the illegal settlements in the Occupied Territories, but other countries in Europe might have a different view of them. Sadly, we cannot adopt a collegiate position on human rights matters in the world. For example, in Sri Lanka the return of Tamils to the Sinhalese regime could prove very troublesome. Similarly, there are issues in Bosnia and we are all aware of the horrors that took place there. Also, there are ongoing concerns about the situation in Serbia and the destabilisation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, an issue we dealt with in the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. There are considerable human rights concerns in Pakistan.

I propose that the committee not make a decision on this issue until we have received submissions from Amnesty International and NGOs in Ireland dealing with the issue of immigration. I propose that we consider undertaking a critical analysis of this proposal and ask that we do not decide on it until we have had a chance to consider alternative points of view. We are being asked to opt into a wide range of agreements at European level. This is a serious proposal which needs to be considered. The people asked us to seek an opt-out and agreed to this in a referendum. Therefore, while I appreciate the Minister of State's presentation, I ask that the committee not make a decision until we have received feedback from human rights organisations and NGOs here.