Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----this Dáil. Far from this being an attack on the role of sovereign parliaments, there is a process in place that recognises the ability of Dáil Éireann to cast a vote on that agreement. It is at that point that Deputy Kenny and Sinn Féin will be able to articulate their views and concerns on CETA.

I take a very different view from that outlined by Deputy Kenny. I believe that all parts of the Irish economy, whether it is the agricultural sector the Deputy referred to, financial services or aviation, have shown their ability to grow, create employment, be prosperous and deliver benefits for our country in a world of greater trade and in a world in which the Single Market has been a hugely important market into which Ireland has exported services and goods. I believe an environment in which the Single Market is maintained and arrangements and agreements such as CETA are put in place offers opportunities for Irish companies to create jobs. Companies that are located here will have the ability to sell more and thereby to create more jobs in Ireland.

The process for ratification in the European Parliament, and ratification in national parliaments all over the European Union, is precisely put in place to allow the kind of issues that Deputy Martin Kenny is entitled to raise on behalf of those he represents to be aired and to allow national parliaments to make their views known. However, I wish to conclude by arguing that over the recent arc of Irish economic history we have seen that Irish farmers and companies, big and small, have shown their ability to create more jobs and sell more goods in an environment in which trade has been liberalised. This agreement is also putting in place the right protections in respect of the environment, workers rights and issues that matter. That is also the case with the Single Market. How is it consistent for Deputy Martin Kenny to say that farmers and companies in the North should not have the ability to trade under a structured agreement such as CETA when his party is campaigning in respect of the need for those companies and farmers to retain access to the Single Market of the European Union?

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