Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Brexit has occupied our focus here for nearly three years. As the Taoiseach will recall, when the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union, a bid was made to have two UK-based agencies, the European Medicines Agency, EMA, and the European Banking Authority, EBA, relocated to Ireland, but we lost out narrowly to Paris in a tied vote on the relocation of the EBA. It is not too often that the European Union creates new agencies, but in February it was agreed by the Commission, the Council and the Parliament that a new agency would be established, namely, the European Labour Authority. As I understand it, so far only Cyprus and Slovakia have declared an interest in the new agency. Will the Taoiseach support the call made by Sheila Nunan, the Labour Party candidate in Ireland South, to have the agency located in Ireland? It is one of which we have experience and Ireland would make a fine home for it. Is it the Taoiseach's intention to make a bid to have the European Labour Authority based here?

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