Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Taoiseach to restate briefly the role of the European affairs committee of the Cabinet. Does it have any particular role with regard to the issue of the retrospective repayment by the European banking system of the tens of billions of euro with which the Irish people were forced, by the institutions of the European Union and the European Central Bank, to bail out Irish and European bondholders and speculators? Does it have a role in reviewing the outcome of the summit of June 2012 when the Taoiseach stated the special position of Ireland had been recognised and that a seismic shift had taken place in European policy with regard to bank recapitalisation? This clearly suggested that the huge moneys that were taken from the pockets of our people, with the resultant disastrous austerity that was imposed, would be recouped. What is the role of the aforementioned European affairs committee with regard to progressing this matter because no progress has been seen over the past two years. Lest Members did miss a manifestation of the seismic shift since then, can the Taoiseach tell Members when and where did it happen? I ask in particular against the background of some studies stating that more than 40% of European bad debt was forced onto the shoulders of our people, which was totally unsustainable as we have seen.

Second, I refer again to the European affairs committee of the Cabinet and the issue of the Middle East. Is one of the roles of that Cabinet committee to review European policy and, more importantly, European actions by the Commission and the bureaucracy of the European Union towards the whole Israeli-Palestine crisis? In that regard, why does the Taoiseach tolerate a situation in which the European Union as an institution continually favours Israel in trade matters, for example, as well as in other areas, in view of the horrific affliction of repression and enormous suffering occasioned by the bombardment of the Palestinian people, 1.8 million of whom are imprisoned in a tiny strip of land in the most horrific circumstances? Does this not cry out for an absolute cessation of the Israeli bombardment and repression and for an entire change in policy?

I will state, in order that I am not misunderstood, that rockets fired by Hamas are indefensible.

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