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

I have said before that it is extraordinary and strange that there were no pre-EU Council statements prior to the EU informal summit held last month because, as the Taoiseach outlined, institutional and transnational issues were discussed, in addition to high-level EU appointments.

With regard to the discussion on the number of seats, the departure of the United Kingdom from the Union because of Brexit will mean a redistribution of about 27 seats, in keeping with the principles of degressive proportionality.

Will the Taoiseach outline what was the nature of the discussion around this? Does he support a wider discussion regarding the number of seats which the European Parliament should have? I believe there was some attempt to reduce the number of MEPs from 751 to 705. What was the Taoiseach's position on that?

Was there a discussion at the informal summit on the Brexit negotiations and draft withdrawal agreement? Will the Taoiseach outline the Government's priorities for the next multi-annual financial framework? What level of consultation took place on this and with whom before the priorities were decided upon? The Taoiseach might recall his speech to the European Parliament where he said they were his personal views and had not been signed-off by Government. I am interested in the Taoiseach's approach to this meeting. Was it the Government's views or his own personal views about institutional reform?

On investment in research and innovation, I am glad that the Taoiseach said that CAP will still be a major priority. While she was a Commissioner, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn did fantastic work on Horizon 2020. We, as a country, should place a very high premium on the importance of such a European research programme and substantial investment being put behind it.

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