David Norris (Independent)

I echo Senator O'Toole's call for the Minister for Finance to come to the House to explain how we will address certain difficulties that may arise in the context of economic relations between Ireland and the US. A distinguished American businessman provided a sophisticated analysis of this matter and suggested that it might not all be one-way traffic. I will be interested in hearing what the Minister has to say. Strong and perhaps unusual arguments would be required to persuade the president of any country to safeguard the interests of foreign workers at the expense of his own constituents. It may be possible to do this but it will not be easy.