Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Seán Kelly, MEP, whom I have admired for many years, particularly during his term as president of the GAA. Given the welcome and support he has received from all the Kerry representatives in the House, his re-election must be assured, whether Ireland has 11 or 12 seats the next time.

I enjoyed his presentation. It was encouraging to hear that we are coming to the end of the firefighting and will see a new era of architects with a better engineered European structure where, I hope, the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. My questions relate to Mr. Kelly's experience since he became an MEP. For a person who was previously involved in an organisation that made decisions quickly and achieved much in a relatively short period, I am curious to know whether he finds the pace of decision-making within the European Union frustrating. How much influence can 12 MEPs have in such a large Parliament? Does it matter whether we have 11 or 12 MEPs in the future? How well do the 12 Irish MEPs work together on common issues? With regard to the jobs crisis, Mr. Kelly mentioned the huge challenges we are facing. Where does he see the real opportunities for job creation? What areas should be targeted? What advice would he give to the Government to stimulate the economy and create badly needed jobs?