I welcome this opportunity to report progress to the House on the work of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. As the House is aware, the membership consists of 25 TDs and five Senators. In the brief time available to me I will summarise developments to date, our present work programme and future plans.
I wish first to thank the former Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities, which was so ably chaired by Deputies Peter Barry and Seán Barrett between 1989-92, for the work it carried out. That work illustrated how complex EC legislation could be examined and reported on by Members who had built up an expertise in those areas over the years. I am glad some former Members of that committee have been appointed to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The joint committee held its first meeting on 19 May and has continued to meet on a weekly basis since. I will not give the House an undue amount of statistics, but there has been an average attendance of 70 per cent by Members to date. This reflects the dedication and interests of Members in the work of the committee. The meetings have lasted in excess of two hours and the level of participation by Members has been very encouraging.
At the first meeting of the committee I had the honour of being elected Chairman. I am glad the Members also elected Deputy Nora Owen as vice-chairperson of the joint committee. Deputy Owen has not only wide experience as the Fine Gael Front Bench spokesperson on foreign affairs but she also very ably chaired the former Joint Committee on Development Co-operation in the 1980s. I am glad that this area now falls within the remit of the joint commmittee.
At its first meeting the joint committee decided to place Bosnia-Hercegovina high on its priority list for obvious reasons. The tragic and deteriorating situation in the former Yugoslavia warranted immediate attention and has continued to do so to date. The joint committee sought briefing material from the Department of Foreign Affairs and has had detailed discussions with senior departmental officials over a number of meetings. I should like to place on record my thanks, and that of the joint committee, to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, his Minister of State, Deputy Tom Kitt, his departmental Secretary, Mr. Noel Dorr, and the staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs for their very positive attitude and input to the work of the joint committee since its establishment.
I should mention that the joint committee is assisted in its work, setting its agenda, etc., by a bureau of eight Members, including me, which is representative of each of the parties and the independent Senators. This system has worked very well. The bureau can deal with procedures and housekeeping issues, thus enabling the joint committee to function more effectively. Bureau Members can also meet individuals and organisations at short notice. Recently the committee met a visiting group from Africa who were in Dublin for one day.
On the question of Bosnia-Hercegovina, we not only heard the views of the Department of Foreign Affairs but we were also privileged to be fully briefed by their Excellencies the Ambassadors of Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy and the Russian Federation. The joint committee agreed two resolutions on Bosnia-Hercegovina during June and July and these have been brought to the attention of the EC committees of the other member states and the European Parliament. Members have agreed that this important subject should continue to be placed on the committee's agenda for updating on an ongoing basis.
Before I deal in detail with the other topics discussed by the joint committee, I wish to remind the House that the terms of reference of the joint committee allow for attendance and participation at our meetings by the 18 Irish members of the European Parliament and the eight members of the Council of Europe. This is a very welcome innovation which I would like to see being developed in a structured way so as to enable greater attendance by these members at meetings. Their experience and network of contacts will be an invaluable asset to the joint committee, an asset which has not been fully utilised thus far.
Apart from Bosnia-Hercegovina, the joint committee has looked in varying degrees of depth at the following areas: enlargement of the European Community; development co-operation; the situation in East Timor; the foreign policy aspects of the recently passed Defence (Amendment) Act and the implications for participation by Irish troops in the UN mission in Somalia; the situation in Liberia and the current and future role of the United Nations, which we will investigate shortly. The joint committee has been very concerned about developments in East Timor, Liberia and Somalia and has agreed formal resolutions in all three cases.
One welcome and significant aspect of the joint committee's work is that it has provided an opportunity not only for departmental officials and non-governmental organisations to address members but it has also provided an opportunity for individuals to brief members on issues of importance. In that regard I might mention the presentations by the Portuguese Ambassador and Mr. Tom Hyland, Director of the East Timor-Ireland Solidarity Campaign and Sr. Anne Murray of the Sisters of St. Louis who spoke to us last week about Liberia. This is a healthy development — Deputy Bruton has advocated it for all committees — which will strengthen the general public's understanding of our democratic institutions. This is a two way process — we gain much from direct consultations with concerned individuals.
On the question of Somalia, the joint committee is grateful to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for agreeing to attend a meeting on 29 June which was devoted exclusively to consideration in advance of the foreign policy aspects of the then proposed Defence (Amendment) Bill, 1993. A very worth-while exchange of views took place at that meeting which enabled members to obtain responses on proposed changes in Ireland's role in UN missions in such areas as Somalia.
On 15 June the joint committee had a useful exchange of views with a visiting delegation from Sweden's parliamentary committee on EC matters, particularly on aspects of Sweden's application for EC membership and future co-operation with other member states on the periphery of Europe. On 18 June the select committee considered the 1993 Estimates for the Department of Foreign Affairs, including international co-operation, and reported accordingly to the Dáil.
After careful consideration of its terms of reference, work programme and priorities for future action the joint committee decided to set up two permanent or standing subcommittees on EC legislation and development co-operation. These subcommittees will deal with the two major elements of the task laid down for the joint committee by the Oireachtas. The subcommittee on EC legislation, under the chairmanship of Deputy Collins, will be responsible for those areas which fall within the remit of the former Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities. In addition, it is intended to establish a mechanism whereby this committee can examine and make recommendations on draft directives and regulations before their adoption in legislative form. The subcommittee on development co-operation will review Ireland's role in relation to aid for developing countries and will, no doubt, be involved closely with the international co-operation side of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Apart from the two standing subcommittees the joint committee has also decided to set up another subcommittee on the United Nations. This subcommittee will be mandated to examine the role and structures of the United Nations and Ireland's current and future relationship with that organisation. This sub-committee will be dissolved as soon as it has reported back to the joint committee.
The major areas the joint committee will address in the immediate future are enlargement of the European Community and Northern Ireland. We have had an initial discussion with Professor Brigid Laffan of University College, Dublin about the possibility of her acting as a consultant on the issue of European Community enlargement. The joint committee is confident that with Professor Laffan's active involvement it can produce a timely and worth-while report on this issue. I expect that this important subject will occupy the time of the joint committee up to the end of the year.
While the joint committee has not addressed any specific issues in relation to Northern Ireland to date it is intended to devote close attention to the subject over the coming months. The joint committee realises the sensitivity of this issue and it will treat the matter with the degree of understanding and commitment it deserves. The Opsahl report and the urgency of political talks make it imperative for the committee to discuss this matter at an early stage when it resumes plenary hearings. The joint committee is very conscious of the good work already undertaken by the Government within the framework of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. I welcome the excellent degree of co-operation and real progress that has been made through the British-Irish interparliamentary body. I hope to be able to report further progress on this issue on the next occasion I report to the House.
I will not detain the House unduly by referring to the resources of the joint committee: as Winston Churchill said: "Give us the tools and will complete the job". That is the objective of the joint committee. We have already made a number of submissions to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Finance on the need to beefup the secretariat both at the lower and higher levels. I understand that the Department of Foreign Affairs will second a First Secretary to the joint committee on 3 August.
In conclusion, I thank the 25 Dáil Deputies and five Senators who participated so well in the work of the committee. The frank exchange of views between parliamentarians and officials in an open forum has added a new and constructive dimension to our knowledge and understanding of Irish foreign affairs policy. In the relatively short time we have been in existence, the joint committee has organised its work schedule effectively and dealt with a number of major topical issues in relation to which we will be reporting formally to both Houses of the Oireachtas. With the continued support and co-operation of my colleagues and adequate resources — I emphasise the latter aspect which we need to enhance our role — I am confident that the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs can undertake, on behalf of the Oireachtas, the very worth-while task it has been given.