Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I have been listening to the argument about the disconnect with the electorate to which the Minister refers for ten or 15 years. I do not know what one has to do to manage it and do not have the answer. I am not sure the Minister has the answer either. Otherwise, we might have had a different result last Friday. Perhaps something is dramatically wrong in this regard.

One of the questions addressed to me most frequently during the campaign was the reason Ireland could not have a Commissioner at the table all the time. We do not have time to go into the matter now, but what is actually wrong with having 27 as opposed to 18 Commissioners if the people in each member state believe their best interests would be served by having a Commissioner at the table? Will someone explain that to me?

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