Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I thank Mr. Crowley for his attendance. He was one of the first of our party members to reply to the invitation. The House has listened to his vivid description of his life and the committees of which he is a member. One of the benefits of this initiative was that the House was given an insight and learned more about the operations of the European Parliament.

I wish to ask a simple question which follows from Mr. Crowley's answer to Senator Bradford's question. He said he was elected by the people and spoke about the fragile nature of democracy. Has the Deputy a system for keeping in touch with his constituents? Does he meet them on a representative basis, individually or in groups? Does he have a clinic and keep an office in County Cork? How does he marshall his potential votes, hold on to what he has and prepare for the forthcoming election?