Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

The Taoiseach replied that he did not know the date of the referendum on the EU treaty. Tomorrow, he will travel to Brussels to sign off on the EU reform treaty. Will he be telling his EU colleagues about the timing of the referendum? At a luncheon for journalists he promised that the enabling Bill would be passed by the end of January 2008. If it has not been yet published, how will the House pass it by the end of January? We cannot establish the referendum commission until the legislation is passed. Deputy Durkan is Chairman of the Joint Committee on European Affairs. Obviously, he wishes to organise its work around the referendum. Will the Taoiseach give an indication of the timescale of when the various items of legislation will be put in place?

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