Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State and I feel he is correct to refer to the importance of the annual report and that it be brought before a committee for intense scrutiny, not a superficial examination. We have no reason to doubt the bona fides of the Minister of State as he has been most open and forthcoming with us on this matter. Our concerns regarding the objectives and underlying ethos of this Bill have been elucidated eloquently by my colleague, Deputy Higgins, and we hope officials in the relevant area of the Minister of State's Department can facilitate us with them. Deputy Higgins has a track record in this area and he did not merely happen upon it recently; he has over 30 years of experience arguing against the trade and his interest may even predate the concerns of others regarding end-use, dual-use, technological advances and so on. I seek to be assured there will be a comprehensive debate on this matter and I feel the Minister of State is committed to this as he has, shall we say, stood where we are standing.

In this context I will later withdraw my amendment as we feel the Minister of State's assurances are well founded.

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