Mr. Cormac Ó Culáin:

The question the Chairman asked was in terms of how there is a better understanding between peers across the block. I suppose the best way to answer that is that there are common challenges. No more than in any other sector, technology is disrupting legal services and is disrupting consumer behaviour and consumer demand, so issues such as that unify law societies across the block. Another issue is the resourcing of the legal system and Government agencies. We have to understand that many legal frameworks have their birth in the European order, so, for example, the application of data protection, anti-money laundering and so forth have a common beginning but they might have different application across the block and that is where the interaction arises.

In the context of the CCBE, I should say that it is not just about plenary meetings, important work is done at committee level, no more than in any structure similar to the Parliament. For example, we have an access to justice committee, a migration committee and a competition law committee and this is where the rubber hits the road. We have fantastic representatives not only from the Law Society of Ireland but from the Bar of Ireland working together with peers across the block in feeding into important and defining consultations at European level.

Senator Leyden mentioned the Council of Europe. We should remember that it is distinct from the other European Union institutions. The Law Society is actively involved with the human rights in business programme, which has its genesis in the Council of Europe. We also fed into, and endorsed, the CCBE position on reforming the European Court of Human Rights. These are really valuable well-researched pragmatic pieces of research and convincing positions that Europe is taking very much with an Irish influence.

The Chairman mentioned the solicitor practice in County Kerry. I know it is not European but nonetheless we are all European as well as our firms in County Kerry. The society recently launched a small practice support unit which is underlying the viability and importance of a sustainable legal services market outside the main urban areas and that, of course, includes counties Kerry, Roscommon, Kildare and Dublin.