Maurice Hayes (Independent)

I apologise for missing Ms Doyle's speech; I was about her father's business at the Forum on Europe. I welcome Ms Doyle to the Seanad. It is invaluable that she and her colleagues come to the Seanad to share their experiences. We all find it very helpful. I congratulate her on the way she represents her constituents and Ireland in Europe. As chairman of the Forum on Europe, I find it fascinating how people manage with a one-minute speaking slot in the European Parliament. It does not seem to have rubbed off on some of Ms Doyle's colleagues who came here.

How can we engage young people with the idea and workings of Europe? How do the MEPs manage it? Do they crank up the machine at every election or is it a continuing process? Can they share with constituency or party colleagues in clinics and so on?