Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

ISIS was discussed at the meeting in August and it is expected that it will be discussed again in December. I do not, however, have an update for Deputies in that respect.

The question on Cyprus, to an extent, is similar. At the last minute, the Cypriot Prime Minister took ill, which meant that the level of detail considered in the discussion was curtailed. However, Ireland supports the idea of a bi-zonal and bi-jurisdictional solution being found through negotiation.

I agree with the comments made on Ebola. Deputies referred to the focus nationally and within the European Union on protective measures and I take the points made. Equally, every government and state has an obligation to ensure that if, God forbid, there is an issue, hospitals and emergency services will be prepared to deal with it. The level of funding and support for the three main countries affected has been increased and the appropriate Commissioner has been put in charge of co-ordinating efforts. The matter will, once again, be on the agenda for the November General Affairs and Foreign Affairs Councils, as well as the full Council meeting that will take place in December.

Deputy Clare Daly is no longer here, but she asked about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership which was not specifically on the agenda last week. Nevertheless, there was a separate informal discussion in Italy which was attended by the American trade representative, Mr. Michael Froman, and Commissioner de Gucht. I also attended the event. The Deputy mentioned that multinationals would benefit from a trade deal, but the sense among all European countries is that because multinationals have the capacity to move between jurisdictions, a trade deal would be more likely to benefit smaller and medium-sized enterprises. The concerns the Deputy raised about the beef industry and classifications are shared by the Government. One approach does not necessarily contradict the other. There is a strong view that the growth generated in Ireland, the European Union and the United States as a result of this deal would be very significant. Perhaps the best example of all to consider is the introduction of the Single Market which was of major benefit to Europe when initiated.

As the Taoiseach outlined, the main focus of the General Affairs Council was on the preparation of the climate and energy policy. In this regard there were very significant measures put in place that will be of benefit to Ireland. To summarise, the discussions concerned the principle that there were competing but very important ambitions that all of us shared. We need to protect our very fragile climate and environment, but, equally, there is an obligation on us to ensure food sustainability and security. That competing objective is fundamental to the security of the planet. In this regard, Ireland has secured, through the negotiations of Ministers and particularly the Taoiseach, an acceptance by our European colleagues of a policy on the production of food. We already produce energy-efficient beef and dairy products because the stock is grass-fed and not as intensively farmed as it is in other parts of the world. This is an important point. With the removal of the Common Agricultural Policy, we will be allowed to continue producing in an even more energy-efficient manner the food we require, whether it be dairy or beef products. That was perhaps the most significant point for Ireland, although other measures related to connectivity and afforestation were discussed.

It is difficult for me to address all of the issues raised at a meeting that took place over a number of days.

My time is now up, but I think I have covered most of the main areas.

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