Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

——to make a contribution to what is a substantive and meaningful debate about Ireland and its role within Europe, how we see our future within the European Union in terms of the key issues, both economic and social, for Ireland and what kind of assurances people want into the future. We are making a genuine effort to try to resolve and understand these issues. Hence, we engaged in substantive research to get a more accurate picture of the views of people as a basis upon which we can have debate.

I take Deputy Tuffy's point that we are in a position to bring in civil society. The committee should be in a position to invite people in to articulate their position and get clarity on some of the issues. This should be a calm objective debate which will allow data, information and facts to come through in its conduct. If people have issues, let them come to raise them and let us get clarity on them.

I take Deputy Timmins's point about clean hands and coming to it with as objective a position as possible, and the issue of resources on which we already had an understanding. Following our engagement with the Oireachtas Commission, the resources will be made available to facilitate expert perspectives and views.

I take Deputy Timmins's point on the consequences of this, but the committee can also tease through that in terms of the new Union position in which we find ourselves and how we take that forward. He mentioned economic issues in the European context. What is not widely understood is that over the past number of months, indeed, over the past 12 months since all of this issue of financial uncertainty arose, the European Central Bank has played a central role in terms of facilitating liquidity for banks across Europe, including Ireland. One could ask the question about where we, as a small country, would have been over the past 12 months without the European Central Bank.

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