Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Would that it were. He is aware that the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Roche, and Mr. Proinsias de Rossa, MEP, have been in the House in recent weeks to tell us their experience of their work in the Convention on our behalf. Is it the case that members of the Praesidium, and the Convention generally, take positions according to the views of their political groupings in Europe rather than those of their national assemblies? How are they arriving at their conclusions? Is it the case, for example, that our conclusions from an Irish perspective are being arrived at as a result of discussions between the Deputy and other members of the Irish delegation to the Convention, or are his conclusions being arrived at from the point of view of the Christian Democrats?

Whatever the outcome of the Convention, it will feed into the next Intergovernmental Conference process. Will the Deputy explain to the House where he thinks the process will go? There is not much point in having a convention to direct the future of Europe in a straightforward way if this is completely rolled back by the next Intergovernmental Conference. From his discussions at European level, will he tell us where he thinks the choices will be in terms of future Intergovernmental Conferences?

The Deputy said one of the great challenges for Europe and those of us in politics generally was to ensure European documents, European law and our ambitions as a member of the European Union were easily understood or, to use his word, readable. When the President of the European Parliament came to address the House last year, he painted a vivid picture of that process. I would like to know if Deputy Bruton is in agreement with this. His explanation was that if one were to go into an Irish national school several years from now, there would be two charts. The first would outline one's rights and obligations as a citizen of this State; the second would outline one's rights and obligations as a citizen of the European Union. It would be a simple delineation of those rights from an Irish perspective and a European perspective. Does the Deputy agree with this illustration used by Pat Cox in the House last year?

On behalf of Fine Gael, I welcome the Deputy to the House and thank him for his stirring address.