Seanad debates

Thursday, 13 November 2003

Address by Ms Mary Banotti, MEP.

 

In the past three days I have spoken at six conferences on diabetes – it was diabetes week in the Parliament and I have done a great deal of work in that area. Last Sunday, with the Dublin Simon Community, I viewed services for homeless people. I promised the organisation I would inform the House that its main concern is not the work initially associated with it, but that of moving people on to permanent housing. That is a really big issue for them. I have dealt with several cases of child abduction. I have spoken to the pharmaceutical industry about three pieces of legislation being introduced. I have also spoken to various people concerned about the recognition of professional qualifications. I have examined food law and been lobbied by a very well known company in this country which is being dragged in front of the District Court, as we would put it, for selling a jar of capers that is not labelled in at least three different languages, one of which must be English or Irish. I will refer to that area later, simply because, I regret to say, that whenever something silly arises or something goes wrong, it has been customary and really useful to be able to blame Europe. We are certainly blamed very regularly.

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