Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I think the Minister is strong and committed and I respect what the two previous speakers have said. We put a lot of work into this. If this committee stands for anything, it stands for trust. We all worked together on this to try to get a compromise that would work for everybody. I think the Minister has been fairly strong. I trust him and I feel he has given us the reassurance we need. I understand that he and his officials have a job to do but we also have a job to do. Our job is to represent our constituents in rural Ireland. I will be voting with the Government but I do not want to be put into a situation where I will have to vote for something I do not believe in. I do not believe this is right and I know the Attorney General has given advice on the matter. However, Attorneys General have got it wrong before. We went to the High Court and the Supreme Court and lost cases because of decisions made by Attorneys General. They come and go, as do politicians. Businesses come and go as well but they need to survive. They have never gone through a more difficult time and this is a big part of their business. I am trusting the Minister and he has my support. I think he has given us the reassurances we need. I will be supporting it, either way. I do not want to be put in a similar position as happened with a previous committee where we worked together to compile a very strong report. I think the Opposition members tonight have been very fair and I would hope that the Minister can really reassure us but I take him at his word and I am supporting him.