Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

One thing I did not hear people say during the campaign was that Ireland should pull out of Europe. Under the proposed Lisbon treaty the opportunity exists for any country to do so. Clearly, there is a disconnect between Government and the Irish people in so far as Europe and its workings are concerned, as highlighted in the Dáil last December by the Taoiseach's predecessor when he said that the issue of water charges in respect of schools was a direct consequence of the EU water directive, which it was not. There is a myriad of reasons that people voted against the treaty, some of which were related to the manner in which Ireland has implemented directives, whether 1,300 sections in a cross-compliance form or whatever. The Taoiseach knows that as well as I do.

Is the Taoiseach prepared to deal with the disconnect as regards the implementation of European directives between the Government and the Irish citizens? No matter what happens in the future, that lingering attitude will remain unless it is dealt with. Will the Taoiseach ask his Ministers to look at the manner in which they are implementing European directives in so far as the Irish citizenry is concerned?

How many Heads of Government has the Taoiseach contacted since the referendum results were announced? There was a genuine concern among many of those who voted "No" about the future and progress of Europe, how far it should go etc. Clearly there is a need for Europe to reaffirm what the European project is about, its future, where we are headed and what this means. The Taoiseach should say to his European counterparts that there clearly is a need for a reaffirmation of what the European project means. The Lisbon treaty proposed that Council meetings be held in public which would deal, in part, with the disconnect, but that disconnect exists between our citizens and Europe and that must be spelled out by Heads of Government. How many Heads of Government has the Taoiseach spoken to since the referendum or has he been in contact with any of them in view of the European Council meeting on Friday?

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