Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

First, I am glad the Taoiseach has stated the Government accepts the result of the referendum and that he has communicated this to his European colleagues. It is important that everyone accepts and respects the decision the people made on Thursday. Therefore I ask whether he accepts, and if he will ask his European colleagues to accept, that based on that decision, the ratification of the Lisbon treaty now cannot be completed by the 27 member states as was required.

Second, the Taoiseach indicated he would address the issue of the reasons for the treaty's rejection. Does he accept the necessity for some time to be taken, both as between this country and our European partners and within this country, to reflect on the result and to understand fully the reasons the treaty was rejected and people voted as they did? I refer to the need to understand more fully the deep-seated unease that exists among people about the future in respect both of our relations with Europe and of the economy, people's livelihoods and so on. In doing all this, we need to reflect and understand the will of all the people, both those who voted for and those who voted against the treaty. While there was a clear decision, it also is fair to state that opinion was fairly evenly divided and the views and opinions of all the people, both those who voted for and those who voted against, must be reflected.

Finally, does the Taoiseach accept — I understand from his answer he probably does — that although the treaty itself was rejected, the vote did not constitute a rejection of the European Union and that the overwhelming majority of the people want this country to play a constructive and progressive part in building the future of Europe?

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