Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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Before I ask Ms Nolan to respond, I wish to make a number of points. With regard to the European semester, I would like to inform the committee that we have asked Ms Catherine Day to appear before the committee to talk about the annual growth survey. We are hopeful Ms Day will appear here either in December or in January. That will be an opportunity to talk about the first stage of the annual growth survey.

My first question is in regard to the CSRs. Up to now, our recommendation as part of the troika was just to carry out the programme. However, for those counties that are outside a programme, a range of different recommendations were put forward. Having gone through them, I know that some of them, such as those for France and Germany, dealt with their taxation issues. Can Ms Nolan explain what was the reaction on the ground among the media and the population when these CSRs were published in each country? Was there any kind of europhobic reaction? Were people even aware this was happening? What impact did it have on the ground?

My second question concerns SMEs, which were also mentioned by Deputy Dara Murphy. In my constituency of Meath East, I recently carried out a survey of SMEs, their needs and how they are getting on in the current climate. I had responses from more than 100 businesses. One of the questions I asked was in regard to EU funding in terms of access to grants, loans and other funds from organisations such as the European Investment Bank. I was surprised because the feedback I got was that businesses do not have the first idea of the types of fund, loan or grant that are available at EU level. That is a failure on somebody's part, although I am not sure whether it is that of MEPs or the national politicians or whether the Commission also has a part to play. Can Ms Nolan explain how we can improve knowledge among our small businesses of the types of funding that are available to help them set up and grow?

My third question is in regard to continuity. As Ms Nolan knows, the Commission will be replaced next year. We have the European Parliament elections in May. The Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be with Greece in the first six months of the year, where an election will potentially take place, and then with Italy in the remaining six months of the year, where an election may also take place. The Latvian Presidency will start on 1 January 2015 under a new Government, because the Latvians go to the polls next October. Therefore, we can expect a lot of change and flux at Presidency and Council level over the next 18 months. The European Parliament will be replaced and all of the Commissioners will be replaced. If something happens at a European level or if more crisis issues arise, although we all hope they will not, how concerned is Ms Nolan about continuity and how will the Commission ensure there are plans in place to deal with any potential crisis should other institutions be unable to do so?

My next question concerns President Barroso's State of the Union address. He said we could expect further proposals and ideas from himself on the future of the EU, and he said these would come before the EU parliamentary elections next year. What forum will they be presented in and when can we expect to hear something from President Barroso?

My last question is in regard to the financial transaction tax. This is proceeding very slowly and we would have expected to see greater progress since the announcement of enhanced co-operation. What is going on? Is this due to the fact that a government has not yet been formed in Germany? When can we expect to see some movement in regard to the financial transaction tax?