Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

The reform treaty will be signed by Heads of State and Government, including the Taoiseach, on 13 December and is expected to be ratified by each member state before 1 January 2009. The Government has sought formal legal advice from the Attorney General on whether ratification of the treaty requires an amendment to the Constitution. It is anticipated that this question will be answered positively.

A date has not been set for the referendum but the Irish people will have an opportunity to express their vote on the treaty, probably in the middle of next year. Before a referendum can be held, the Oireachtas must pass the necessary enabling legislation. I assure the House that I intend to use both Houses of the Oireachtas to ensure we have the fullest possible debates on the treaty.

As Members will know I have already written to every Member in the House, those who are for the treaty and those likely to be against it, providing a summary of the treaty's main provisions and offering further briefing as desired. A number of Deputies have already taken up that offer. We will shortly be in contact with party spokespersons to arrange formal consultations on the treaty and its ratification.

A referendum campaign should be preceded by a very active information effort.

To this end a short explanatory pamphlet on the treaty will be published next month. A dedicated website will be established, dealing with the most frequently asked questions on the treaty. The Government will publish a non-technical guide to the treaty in January and a White Paper in January or February. We should make the language associated with this treaty as simple as possible, because the treaty approach is more complex than the constitutional approach.

In accordance with established practice, a well-resourced referendum commission will be created to give objective information to the public and encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote. As with the previous EU referendum in 2002, significant resources will be ear-marked for the use of the referendum commission. The National Forum on Europe will also be active and in the last few days I have written to the social partners, who will be involved, as well as all sides of this House.

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