Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I would like to make a very serious point regarding Northern Ireland. Now that the dust has settled and, as must be acknowledged, our Taoiseach has carried out a very successful job in Europe and got his man elected to the Commission, the onus is on us as legislators, and it is our responsibility to have a serious debate on Northern Ireland in the autumn. That debate should not specifically concern the ongoing political problems there but the cross-Border opportunities towards which we can work. Many people in Northern Ireland feel they are not being represented. The members of the legislative authority in Stormont are not operating, and they feel left out. Perhaps I might give one example. The Derry to Coleraine railway line will close if we do not have a serious debate with our partners in Northern Ireland and put pressure on them. There is no point in us, on one side of the Border, talking about a railway line from Derry to Letterkenny if they are going to close the line from Coleraine to Derry. Some 100 people will lose their jobs. A greater onus is on us to do that as legislators. We should have a serious debate, and Senator Maurice Hayes as the lone representative of the Six Counties will be on my side too.