Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I take all the points the Deputy makes. With regard to the General Affairs and External Relations Council, as the Deputy knows, I was engaged on the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill in this House and did not attend. A wide-ranging discussion always takes place on the issues of the moment and I have no doubt that was done. I agree that while individual hand-wringing may make us feel better, effective negotiations, particularly through Europe, can be extremely good. While China has great respect and regard for Ireland, the reality is that it has respect and regard for 27 member states. This is the point that Deputy Creighton and I have been making inside and outside the House, which is that, through the European Union, we can amplify the concerns of the Irish people best on issues such as abuses of human rights, whether in Zimbabwe or Tibet, which also experiences problems. The EU is engaged in this on an ongoing basis.

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