Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As I understand it, the role of the Cabinet committee on European affairs is to provide the Taoiseach and the Government with strategic direction, coherence and co-ordination on European affairs. That is obviously an important function. In preparation for today, I went on the website of the Department of the Taoiseach and the members of the committee are listed. Lo and behold, it includes Minister of State, Deputy Lucinda Creighton. I thought I would inform the Government that she has left the Government and a new Minister of State is in place, Deputy Paschal Donohoe. Clearly, a committee charged with such an onerous responsibility to co-ordinate and give strategic direction should at least have that right.

The Taoiseach will also recall that prior to the last EU Council meeting I raised with him the issue of surveillance of member states by the US National Security Agency. He never answered me. He ignored my question and then it became a huge topic at the meeting on the back of the revelations by Edward Snowden. Has the issue of surveillance, which clearly goes beyond security concerns as it deals with business and financial matters, been discussed by the Cabinet committee? Has the Taoiseach established whether the surveillance and bugging that have been going on include him, Ministers or agencies of the State?

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