Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I cannot agree to No. 1 being taken without debate. On each occasion on which I am obliged to produce my passport, when arriving in Brussels or some other city, I wonder how long it will be before Ireland joins Europe. Britain and Ireland are part-time members of the European Union because they refuse to sign up to the Schengen Agreement. It is unacceptable that they so refuse and the sooner we decide to sign up to that agreement the better. The House should engage in a debate on this matter. Ireland is barely a member, a part-time member of the European Union. I have always been opposed to its opting out of the Schengen acquis and I am absolutely intent that we should engage in a debate on the matter. The position, as it stands, is outrageous. When Irish people arrive in the airports of other member states, they are shunted into the queue with non-European citizens. That is completely wrong and it causes difficulties for people at many levels.