Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One believes it is a socialist enterprise and the other that it is a mass neoliberal extreme free market enterprise. We want Britain to remain with the EU. It is of benefit to the EU and Ireland in terms of economic and social development. I would like somebody to spell out to me how a decision for Britain to leave the EU would benefit Ireland economically in the long term.

I would like someone to make that argument cogently in this House, instead of the usual superficial rhetoric we get in terms of just opposing it on an ongoing basis for shallow and superficial reasons. I do not say it is perfect. I am as good a critic of the European Union as anyone but critical membership is important rather than outright shallow rejection.

How would the Taoiseach assess morale in terms of the North-South bodies at this juncture, namely, Waterways Ireland and InterTradeIreland? My sense in the past three to four years is that morale has been steadily eroding and people are not sure about their future in those agencies nor about the future certainty of the bodies and where they stand in the overall scheme of things.

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