Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I refer to the review of the Common Fisheries Policy which is due in 2012. The submission to the European Commission being prepared by the Irish Government in conjunction with all other member states is a timely opportunity for us to debate Ireland's submission and put our stamp on it. There will be a review period over the coming months. I ask the Leader to convene a debate on this issue and, if possible, invite the new Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs to the House to listen to the views of Senators, especially those from coastal communities given the difficulties experienced by such communities with the implementation of the previous Common Fisheries Policy.

The second issue to which I wish to refer is one close to my area, namely, the stalemate in the ongoing talks in Northern Ireland. Having lived in the North as a student and knowing many people across the Border in Derry and Fermanagh, I am aware that large-scale dissident activity is occurring nightly across the North at present, particularly in Border areas. If the talks end in stalemate, it will only fuel the hardcore violence that these groups breed. Therefore, I hope the parties at the coalface in the North will reach some form of agreement, rather than allowing the current situation to continue into the future. I support fully the efforts of the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister and hope, in conjunction with the parties in the North, they can reach an agreement. While both sides may have to give, the focus should be on ordinary families trying to survive there in the long run. There is a responsibility on both sides to reach an agreement following the Good Friday Agreement, the subsequent referenda on it and the St. Andrews Agreement.