Mr. Seán Kelly:

I return the compliment to the Acting Chairman, who has been a good friend and colleague for many years and a great Kerryman.

Senator Leyden mentioned the US partnership agreement, which we hope to start as soon as possible. That was a great move by the Government because it sent a positive signal and a great deal of progress has been made on it. It is expected that when President Obama comes to Enniskillen for the G8 conference he will be able to announce an agreement to start negotiations. That is a significant advancement. When I was elected and went to Europe four years ago, I attended as a delegate on the EU-US conference and at that time America had more or less given up on Europe. America was looking east. Things have changed. The Irish Presidency has done a good job at putting ourselves at the centre and getting people together. President Obama's special envoy was here last week and this shows that the Americans and Europeans are serious about it. The Commissioner for Trade, Karel De Gucht, thinks we can have an agreement in two years. I think that is a bit optimistic but in terms of timetabling it is good because the US President will be anxious to conclude it before his term finishes and a new European Parliament will be coming in. This is a significant development for Ireland, Europe and the United States.

I sympathise with farmers on the fodder crisis. I was in Mitchelstown last Saturday week when Dairygold brought in lorries of hay. The Minister has been doing his best. He has spoken to Commissioner Cioloş about the issue and I, as a member of the regional development committee, have written to Commissioner Hahn, as he is responsible for regional development and in particular for the solidarity fund. I have asked him to address the fodder issue and to meet me as soon as possible. The solidarity fund usually takes effect after an event, for example after disasters, such as the flooding in Cork or fires and drought across Europe, but help is needed right now, which is the problem. We need to consider an emergency fund that can kick start immediately. We will do our best and keep pressing the message. If solidarity is to mean anything one must come to the aid of people, at a time of crisis.

I am concerned about the whole approach to tobacco in Europe in the sense that we should be trying to encourage the farmers in southern Europe who depend on the tobacco crop to try to diversify into some other crops so that in the long term we would eliminate it.

There is a question of competition concerning below cost selling and so on and much more could be done in that regard. I agree that we should be targeting the elimination of smoking in the long term. That would encourage farmers, particularly in southern Europe, to diversify.

I agree that the issues concerning fishing, particularly eel fishing, are ones for the Cabinet rather than the European Union. However, MEPs are concerned about them.

Small member states have suffered a decrease in their number of MEPs, from 15 to 13 to 12 and now 11. Member states have a veto, if they wish to exercise it, and that aspect should be considered. We need to consider this matter from a broader perspective, especially in the context of the enlargement of the European Union. If new member states continue to join and the number of MEPs per member state continues to reduce, with what number will we finish up? Small countries such as Malta have a guaranteed minimum of six MEPs, which number cannot be touched. Is Ireland's representation going to fall to near that number soon, bearing in mind that Malta has a population of only 500,000? Therefore, this issue needs to examined in a broader context. The best thing to do would be to postpone the decision. With one year to go before the European elections, we do not have a clue what the constituencies will be or whether we will have 12 or 11 MEPs. In terms of timing, that is unacceptable.

Senator David Cullinane referred to the bondholders. We would all like to see the bondholders being burned, but when the crisis occurred, the European Union had to respond to it. There was no mechanism in place in that respect. As Senator Sean D. Barrett said, the euro was introduced without the necessary important structure being in place to accompany it. In the case of Cyprus, at least the taxpayer did not have to carry the burden. That should I hope strengthen our case when we come to ask that it be examined in a similar light under the ESM when the banking union is established. From that point of view, a line may have been drawn in the sand to the effect that taxpayers will not pick up the bill any more. That in itself would make banks, their shareholders and boards of governors more cautious when they know they would be hit first. The fact that we will have one single supervisory mechanism in Europe will I hope ensure banks will be properly monitored in the future. This is a very important development.

On unemployment, we all want to see more people in employment. In this regard, there is a need for more investment. The European Union is conscious of this and it is part of the Irish proposals under the Irish Presidency in terms of stability, growth and job creation. Different measures will be examined to try to improve the position, particular in regard to Structural Funds and so on.

Under Food Harvest 2020, there will be great opportunities for Ireland. The reformed Common Agricultural Policy allows for this. There was a move to keep milk quotas, but that proposal has been more or less rejected. I hope that will be the end result and it will help us. Markets are growing worldwide. There is a huge growth among the middle classes in developing countries, particularly the BRIC countries. There are also great opportunities for Ireland in fisheries, particularly the aquaculture sector, to which I referred.

My friend, the Leader of the House, Senator Maurice Cummins, gave me great praise for my role as president of the GAA, as did other speakers, for which I thank them. It was a great occasion when Croke Park was opened up. It was great to have the Queen of England there. It is also great that Croke Park could be used in the holding of the Rugby World Cup in 10 or 15 years time. It took congress less than one minute to agree to this, which shows the way things can move on and opinions can change. As was mentioned, Mr. Tommy Moran from County Leitrim and I got a lot of stick at the time, but we got over it and matters worked out well.

The question of bullying, including cyberbullying, was mentioned. In that respect, the protection of minors is crucial. It is important to work with parents to help them to become aware of what is happening. They need much more help, as do schools. There is a move towards peer to peer mentoring in Britain, something that should be introduced here because many young people who are bullied believe it is their own fault. As a consequence, they do not speak to anybody about it. There is scope to address the problem by introducing peer to peer mentoring, or cyber buddies is another term for it. The Oireachtas is examining that issue. I will help to progress it in the European Union to try to deal with the issue of bullying generally, particularly cyberbullying which is far more secretive and damaging to young people.

The issue of data protection was raised. We have to balance the right to privacy with the opportunities for businesses to grow. A proposal was brought forward by some committees in the European Union that every company with 250 customers should have a data protection officer. I fought to have this proposal rejected, as it was a ridiculous proposal. A butcher could have 250 customers and he or she would have to take on a data protection officer. That proposal would simply not work and, thankfully, we were successful in defeating it. Trust is key. It is important to instill confidence in people that their data will be protected. On the question of consent, we are seeking a clear and unambiguous approach in this respect. I hope we will achieve a balance.

Another aspect that is important for Ireland is the concept of a one-stop-shop where companies operating throughout Europe could pick one member state as their main establishment. That would suit Ireland more than any other member state because many of the big companies have a base here. We have a good reputation in data protection through the work of the Data Protection Commissioner, Mr. Billy Hawkes. This is something companies would welcome and it would be useful and helpful to Ireland in attracting more companies to invest here.

I have dealt with the US trade agreement; therefore, there is no need to go over it again. I also mentioned bondholders.

The youth guarantee scheme is very important. It is great if a young fellow finds a job within four months of attaining his qualifications, but I am concerned about how the provision on training will be interpreted. Such training must be meaningful, beneficial and lead to a job. We will have to put on our thinking caps and monitor it when it comes into effect because there is a danger that young people might be sent for training which might not be of great benefit to them.