Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While I understand the Deputy’s concerns, they are slightly flawed because the protection is already in the Constitution and legislation. There is much discussion about TTIP and many concerns, some genuine and some misconstrued. I would have no problem having greater public discussion about TTIP. In recent months, I attended some events. Given that very few of us attended them, there has not been enough public discussion about it. There are genuine concerns and there are always winners and losers in trade negotiations; that is why they are negotiated. They are a long way from being finished. All the Deputy’s valid concerns should be teased out and discussed. If the committee wants to hold a debate on it, I would be happy to participate and we can go through all these issues individually. We should discuss this more publicly. The Department held an event in Dublin Castle and invited a number of people, who raised genuine concerns and asked questions. I would have preferred to have seen a larger crowd and much more involvement. If Members want to have a full discussion about it on Committee Stage or some other Stage, or in the Dáil, if time permits, we should do it. It would be healthy. Let us tease out all the issues. However, these amendments are not required because the protection already exists in the Constitution, in laws and in other European agreements. We are not prepared to accept the amendments, which would involve an unnecessary blanket change.

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