Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

This is not perfect and much more needs to be done by the Government. Nevertheless, it is worthy of support. The last referendum result indicated that many people who oppose Europe are doing so for short-term political gain rather than the interests of the country. It seems this Bill deals with an insurance policy for the country, and although it is not perfect, no policy provides a complete guarantee. The Minister and the Government could do a lot more to persuade their colleagues, especially given that Fine Gael boasted before the election about its influence in the European People's Party. A lot of work could be done in that regard but it is not being done at present.