Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I welcome Ambassador Mulhall. I regret that I will be short of time, as we must meet an Albanian delegation from the Parliament.

Would Ambassador Mulhall agree that the relationship between Ireland and Britain has improved remarkably - almost miraculously - in the short time since the Provisional IRA tried to annihilate members of the British Government and that Britain has been extremely co-operative in rebuilding the relationship? If he comes across the former British ambassador who brought Her Majesty to Ireland, could Ambassador Mulhall tell him that this was a most spectacular and important political event that I have experienced in my time in politics, together with the reciprocal State visit by President Higgins which was warmly received. Given all the bombings and killing in England, would he agree that we have had a remarkable rebuilding of the relationship that is now at the highest point since Independence?

In the historical context, the labouring classes, builders and tradesmen went to the United Kingdom to build the bridges, the roads and the railways. His Excellency speaks in terms of 100 welfare organisations and when we think of the relative sophistication of Irish society today and the people who have gone to England, will he explain whether there is a need today for 100 organisations to cater for the welfare of the Irish in England? We are only a stone's throw away, the boat takes a couple of hours and a plane takes less than an hour. Is there still that level of deprivation or is it mainly the older generation cohort who went over as construction workers?

I understand the ambassador did not want to speak about Scotland. Would he agree that the British Prime Minister left himself out on a limb when 26 of the 28 countries of the EU found he was barking up the wrong tree?