It has taken a half hour to deal with questions from the representatives of two party leaders when it should only take 15 minutes.

Hear, hear.

I wish to raise the serious issue of secret negotiations which have taken place between the European Union and the US. These talks aim to conclude a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP.

It will wipe out everybody.

Most people do not even know these negotiations are under way and they have no idea what is being discussed because of the extreme secrecy surrounding the talks, meaning there has been no or little debate in the European Parliament. There has been no debate I know of in this Parliament.

We have been debating it.

There are major concerns about this within trade unions and civil society groups. War on Want describes TTIP as an assault on European and US societies by transnational corporations. The primary aim of TTIP, acknowledged by officials in the talks, is not to stimulate trade by removing tariffs but to remove regulatory barriers which restrict potential profits by transnational corporations.

There are six main areas. One is the creation of new markets by opening public services and government procurement to competition but will this include Irish Water? Second, there is a proposed convergence on standards for food safety and the environment, which will bring about a lowering of EU standards. In the US, 70% of processed food contains genetically modified material and in the EU, one must prove a substance is non-toxic, whereas in the US one can use a substance that is proven as "less toxic". Banking regulation is also on the agenda. It is tougher in the US after the crash, and the European Union banks want lighter regulation in order to get back to business as usual. Other issues include the easing of data protection processes, the likelihood of job losses in the EU compared with the US because of less union organisation and labour laws and, importantly, the issue of an investor state dispute settlement court, which is to be a private and secret court.

What level of involvement do Irish officials have in these talks? If there has been involvement, who has been present? Has there been any discussion at the Cabinet about the talks and will there be a debate here, with full information provided to Deputies?

That was on time and on budget.

The Deputy is referring to ongoing discussions between the European Union-----

Secret discussions.

-----and the United States with regard to trade. As the Deputy probably knows, we are a trading island and we must make our living in the world. Any negotiations that provide markets for Irish goods and services are of significant importance to developing and sustaining employment in Ireland. The Deputy is referring to fair trade regulations, and if they can take into account the interests of the different people in countries involved with the negotiations, it would be a very important advance. Recently, as a consequence of difficulties in the Ukraine, certain parts of the Russian markets have been closed to Irish exporters, which is of concern to people working in companies that export to Russia. If trade access is closed for a country like Ireland, it would create an incredibly difficult issue.

There are always concerns relating to trade negotiations.

The Deputy must balance Ireland's interests as a trading country and the benefits of a bigger market for goods and services with changes in market regulation and the opening of markets that could adversely affect Ireland and the interests of its workers.

I asked who has been involved.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, will be particularly involved in this and my predecessor, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, took an extremely strong interest in these negotiations, especially the rights elements. These matters have been raised by a number of trade unions but I am not directly involved in the negotiations as the Minister for Social Protection.

Ireland must develop markets and develop trade as this is how many people make a living. We must attract international investment and a significant announcement was made in my constituency last week - 1,000 new construction jobs are to be created to develop cutting edge medical biological facilities. We must be aware of potential difficulties that may arise in the negotiations - this is what the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is tasked to do.

I was not expecting that reply from the Tánaiste. Serious concerns relating to workers' rights under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, have been raised by civil groups and trade unions. It seems that multinationals want the power to challenge the right of national governments to defend what they can in this area.

The Canadian Government sought a two-year moratorium on fracking when a company sought fracking rights there but that company has taken the Canadian Government to court. The key to the TTIP is that it aims to give multinationals the right to protect profits and we need a debate on this in Ireland. The Minister does not know much about this subject and I will say on the record of this House that I do not know much either. I want more information on the TTIP and it should be debated in this Chamber. The people of this country need to know and I hope the media pick up on this and investigate what is going on.

The Deputy should read the report of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs on this matter. We know everything there is to know.

Deputy Eric Byrne is interrupting proceedings.

I am only encouraging the speaker to read the minutes of the relevant meeting of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs.

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle should give him a red card and throw him out.

In Germany a Swedish energy company is suing the German state because of the decision to phase out nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Details such as this evidence the manner in which the TTIP allows transnational companies to operate. We must challenge the TTIP and Deputies in this House must learn more on the subject. This matter should be on the agenda of the House. Has Deputy Eamon Gilmore brought all of the relevant information before the Cabinet?

He is not in the Cabinet.

Deputies Eric Byrne and Dominic Hannigan are active members of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. I do not know whether Deputy Joan Collins had the opportunity to attend any of the debates the committee held on this but its views have been submitted to the European Commission. I acknowledge that the issues raised by Deputy Collins are important and I think she should table questions for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan - she may have done so already. I believe the committee would be open to holding further discussions to go into greater detail on the precise situations raised by the Deputy. A detailed debate by the committee would be the best way to address the issues raised because the committee would invite people with expertise in trade areas.