Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ms Prendergast is most welcome. I have served in the European Parliament and on the Internal Market committee. From her experience of working in Europe, what changes would Ms Prendergast like to be introduced in order to get information across on what is happening in Europe? I have been a strong advocate for the use of the Seanad. I proposed that two days a month would be set aside to deal with EU affairs.

Ms Prendergast referred to the free movement of people and services. I wish to raise medical services and recognition of qualification. One of the problems that has arisen in this country relates to cosmetic surgery. People come from abroad to provide the service but do not have adequate insurance. I published a Bill prior to Christmas which I hope to introduce in the Seanad next Wednesday requiring all medical practitioners to have insurance. It is great to have free movement of people but that has implications for individual states.

The third issue I wish to raise relates to patents. I was nominated by the patent lawyers association, which I did not know existed until I began to seek a nomination for the Seanad. The European Patents Office is going to be moved to the UK. There is concern that if the patents office for the entire European Union is based in the UK then new research facilities for medical devices and other developments will tend to locate in the same place. Given that the UK is talking about having a referendum to withdraw from the EU, perhaps it is time to review the decision and reverse it? Ms Prendergast might not be able to give me a response on the issue today but the matter must be examined. If the UK is talking about leaving the EU why should we transfer an entire office for the registration of EU patents to the UK?