Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Bernard Durkan and Deputy Eric Byrne referred to enlargement. Our approach is not to leave anybody out or behind. Ireland supports enlargement, but the process must be credible and conditional on accession and prospective candidate countries fulfilling the conditions for membership of the European Union. Individual countries know what they have to do. We will encourage them in that direction.

Deputy Bernard Durkan, Deputy Eric Byrne, Deputy Seán Kyne and Deputy Timmy Dooley raised the UK issue. I have read Prime Minister David Cameron's speech. The first thing to be said is that it was framed in terms of keeping the United Kingdom in the European Union.

He has set out a timeframe through the next general election in Britain and on to what he proposes as an in-out referendum sometime in the life of the next Parliament. That is a matter for the United Kingdom and the British people to discuss and debate and to arrive at a conclusion about what their relationship should be with the European Union. It raises significant strategic issues for us which revolve around our relationship with the Union. It is important that there should be no doubt that irrespective of whatever debate takes place in the United Kingdom this country's relationship with the Union remains unchanged. We see our place as part and parcel of the European Union and at its heart. We have a unique, strong, neighbourly, friendly and very important economic relationship with the United Kingdom. That relationship will also stay intact. Irrespective of what happens in this debate, as far as Ireland is concerned we remain at the heart of Europe and close to the United Kingdom and we will work on that basis.

In respect of the European Union-US trade agreement raised by Deputy Kyne, a high-level group will present its report shortly. We are anxious to progress this. We need a mandate for the negotiation of the trade agreement. Let us not be under any illusion that this will not be difficult. When one gets down to the nuts and bolts of negotiating a trade agreement with any country huge issues arise across a range of industries and interests and so on that must be addressed but we have to get off the starting blocks. If a mandate is not given and the issue is not progressed before St. Patrick’s Day we will use the opportunity presented on that occasion when the Taoiseach will meet President Obama and I hope to meet the Secretary of State, John Kerry, to progress the issue.

In response to Deputy Mathews, it is important that we appreciate how far we have come. Two years ago this country was teetering on the edge of an economic abyss. We were about to go over the edge. People were talking in terms of the State not being able to pay its way. Nobody would lend to us and we need to borrow to keep our essential services such as schools and hospitals going, to make social welfare payments and pay pensions. That is the unfortunate circumstance of our economic situation and collapse.