Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I do not want to cast aspersions on the eminent judge who chaired the commission. My point is that it was only established after the Bill was published and it was very late in the day. If the Bill were published earlier, the commission could have been established earlier. Be that as it may, I hope when President Sarkozy comes here he will be welcome. However, the proposition of Madame Lagarde on tax harmonisation halfway through the campaign did not help matters and nor did the French Foreign Minister's comments that Ireland would be the first to suffer if the people voted "No". At an early stage, the French Minister for Agriculture, Michel Barnier, made his position clear on the right to use the veto in the WTO talks which might have been helpful had we had the same response from Government earlier.

We amend our Constitution on individual issues and have done so over the years on a variety of matters. We have an individual issue with an information campaign informing people on it and then the question is asked. The Attorney General as legal officer advised the Government of a requirement to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty. Is it possible for the Taoiseach or the Attorney General as legal officer to provide us with the areas within the treaty which require a constitutional referendum? If the Taoiseach does not have the information to hand perhaps he will supply it to us formally. A number of these areas exist and it might be helpful to separate the issues. The people were asked to approve the treaty which, within it, contained the transfer of a number of competencies which would require a popular vote to amend the Constitution. It was like a bus passing by to which every person having a dissident view could attach themselves. This is what happened.

What is the Taoiseach's view on the future of the Forum on Europe? It has been running for a number of years and is chaired by former Senator, Maurice Hayes. It introduced a number of pillars to allow people have their views for and against and carried out a remit by travelling throughout the country. Admittedly, many of the meetings were filled with people who had a particular point of view and were not as vigorous as the political meetings which were organised. Does the Taoiseach see the forum continuing in its current or another form?

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