Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Mr. Lidington, MP, and thank him for his presentation. There is one point I wish to make and two questions I wish to pose.

I am convinced that the European Union will be a far stronger, more credible and valuable entity in the future if the United Kingdom continues to be a strong member and play the type of role it played in the past. I hope that at the end of the journey on which it has embarked it will affirm its membership of the European Union and that the issue will finally be settled within British politics. I read Prime Minister Cameron's speech which was much more nuanced and supportive of the European Union than a great deal of the commentary on it would indicate. The Prime Minister stated, "Let’s stop all this talk of two-speed Europe, of fast lanes and slow lanes, of countries missing trains and buses, and consign the whole weary caravan of metaphors to a permanent siding." It is very much hoped we can do so.

There are two questions I wish to put to the Minister. First, is there a contradiction between the understanding of the need for further economic integration with the eurozone in order for the currency to survive and prosper and the stance of the British Government on when that integration should take place? I refer, for example, to its stance on the fiscal compact. That is the classic type of fiscal integration required to facilitate the development of the architecture needed to allow the euro to remain intact and prosper. The British Government's position in this regard resulted in the fiscal compact taking the form of an intergovernmental treaty as opposed to a treaty of the European Union.

Its position on a banking union, an incredibly important component of a successful monetary union for the future, and some of its stances on how that would be put together have been at odds with the support for further integration. Specifically, it accepts the need for further integration within the eurozone but when it begins to happen, its support is not as strong as it could be. I offer the examples of its position on banking union and the fiscal compact treaty.

My second question relates to the type of change the British Government is seeking. I hope that at the end of this journey the positive outcome that we seek, and which I described, will come to pass. What kind change will the Conservative Party need to achieve in order for it to campaign for a "Yes" vote in an "in-out" referendum? I want my country to accommodate the kind of change that Mr. Lidington is seeking because I want Britain to continue to be in the European Union, but I would like to understand what is the kind of change he is seeking in order for that campaign to be led by the Conservative Party.