Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I just explained that I have a clear political understanding with regard to obtaining legally binding guarantees as per the conclusions. We are in a work-in-progress phase. We will carry out the detailed work and when that is done, we will bring them before the House and explain them further. We will then hear from the European Council as to how it wishes to give legal effect to those guarantees. As President of the European Council, President Sarkozy indicated at the Council meeting, at the press conference which followed it and at the European Parliament yesterday what he believes will be the means by which these legally binding guarantees will be given. I am prepared to await a formal decision from the Council on those matters. However, I have a clear political understanding which allowed me to provide the conditional commitment I gave. If I did not have such an understanding, I would not have given that commitment.

It is on the basis of that clear understanding that we are proceeding to the next phase involving detailed work on the text. The Deputy will have to accept that is the position at present. When the detail is completed, we will bring it before the House and have a further discussion on it and see what is the position at that point.

Deputy Ó Caoláin made a point about people being minded and not having put the case sufficiently. I put the case. He referred to his party's involvement in compromise. He had to make some fundamental compromises in order to achieve political progress. However, that does not disbar him from continuing to pursue his political vision for the country, as I pursue mine. I do so with quite transparent and unsophisticated democratic principles. The Deputy's experience could perhaps inform him better than anything I could say. One advances the position nationally in so far as is possible, based on the ability of others to agree with one.

Sinn Féin or the Deputy might prefer other changes to be made to the Lisbon treaty. However, the treaty can only be agreed, not on the basis of a diktat of his party or mine, but on the basis of a consensus agreed among 27 member states. The other 26 member states have come forward with a consensus position and they must take account of our concerns. They are seeking, willing and anxious to do so out of respect for the Irish people, for the fact they want Ireland to be fully part of the Union and in terms of the additional changes to the Lisbon treaty construct. The Deputy suggests there has been no change. Where in the Lisbon treaty does it say there will be one Commissioner per member state? It does not say that.

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