Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I welcome Mr. Ó Neachtáin to the House and thank him for his thoughtful and stimulating address. He follows in a long line of illustrious former Members of the European Parliament who were appointed following the resignation of a Member of the European Parliament. I am thinking of Chris O'Malley who was appointed when Richie Ryan was appointed to the Court of Auditors and Des Geraghty who was appointed when Proinsias De Rossa resigned.

What is Mr. Ó Neachtáin's perception of the way in which we appoint a Member when a Member of the European Parliament resigns? Does he consider the manner of such appointments is a handicap? It clearly is, given that he was not elected in the popular sense of that term. Does he consider that is the way to proceed or that it should be done by way of a by-election, as would happen if a Member of the Dáil was to resign? We have such debates on Europe on a regular basis, but I am interested in Mr. Ó Neachtáin's perception in this regard.