Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I welcome the important investment conference taking place in Belfast today. I welcome it in particular when taking into account the request by my colleague, Senator O'Toole, to invite the Taoiseach to the House to talk about the future. I would welcome a debate on Northern Ireland with regard to the opportunities for co-operation between business on both sides of the Border. I am reluctant to ask that the Minister for Foreign Affairs be invited to speak as I find it very difficult that the Minister for Foreign Affairs should be the Minister with responsibility for Northern Ireland affairs, coming as I do from a Nationalist background, which I believe to be shared by all Members. I ask that the Tánaiste be invited to the House to talk about the opportunities for investment as a joint operation between those businesses in the North and the South which are aiming at international markets to enable small business, both North and South, to network.

I voiced a concern in the House in the past that the further people live from the Border, the more they are of the view that Northern Ireland is a foreign country. I say this in the knowledge that people from Munster have expressed this view. In order to encourage people to buy Irish products my company identified those products made in Ireland. However, many people asked me if I identified products from Northern Ireland as being Irish. I could not believe this but it was asked by those who were of the view that we should be looking after our own. In my view, what is termed "our own" covers all of the 32 counties. I am pleased the Taoiseach is attending the big investment conference and that four of the top executives running New York city and state are attending. This is a significant opportunity to co-operate and network with our colleagues in the North and to identify business opportunities in international markets.

I was disturbed today to discover that the chief fire officers' association has been arguing once again for a national fire authority and they are making a very strong case. I had not realised that those responsible for fire safety report to each local authority. In the case of Dublin this means three different councils and in the case of Tipperary, two councils. While this may be a very efficient way of delegating responsibility, there is a need for some form of national fire authority and this would be worthy of a debate in the House.