Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, will be particularly involved in this and my predecessor, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, took an extremely strong interest in these negotiations, especially the rights elements. These matters have been raised by a number of trade unions but I am not directly involved in the negotiations as the Minister for Social Protection.

Ireland must develop markets and develop trade as this is how many people make a living. We must attract international investment and a significant announcement was made in my constituency last week - 1,000 new construction jobs are to be created to develop cutting edge medical biological facilities. We must be aware of potential difficulties that may arise in the negotiations - this is what the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is tasked to do.

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