Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I support the amendment tabled by Deputy Costello. It drives home the fact that national parliaments will have an enhanced role under the new treaty. One of the difficulties with the EU is that people feel there is a divide between it and them. They want to bridge this gap and in the Lisbon treaty, a very clear bridge is being built. This will increase democracy and improve the interaction between the European Union and the people of Europe. It will give this Parliament a role that heretofore it did not have.

The amendment raises the important issue of the President being excluded from exercising the new powers, on the basis that these powers apply to the Houses of the Oireachtas. We are lucky we have two parliamentary Houses — the Seanad and the Dáil. I do not know how some other countries in the European Union, which do not have a bicameral system, will implement this element of the treaty. The treaty gives the Seanad an enhanced role too. Ireland will have two votes out of 54, as each House will have a vote. Deputy Costello mentioned the yellow card concept, whereby 18 votes will be enough to send an issue back to the EU for a reasoned opinion. If the issue relates to judicial or home affairs, only 13 votes are required. If more than 27 votes are cast against a measure, it will have to be dropped. This is all very worthwhile.

The amendment also draws attention to the additional requirement for parliamentarians to scrutinise all of the material from the EU, which is something we have not considered at an administrative level. We have sought that role for a long period and it is something for which the public is crying out. If, and hopefully when, the Lisbon treaty is ratified — one never wants to pre-empt the will of the electorate or other parliaments — we will have to put new measures in place. It will not be satisfactory to simply sign off on a bundle of material on a nod. The House will have a responsibility to ensure the material is adequately examined. The structures in place at present in both Houses and at committee level must be beefed up. They will not be sufficient to deal with the amount of material that will be coming through, if we are to carry out our new functions properly.

The amendment is worthwhile because it reiterates the important point that the Lisbon treaty increases accountability through the enhancement of the role of national parliaments.

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