Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Arising from his meetings in Davos and with the European leaders does the Taoiseach feel we should revisit the Lisbon agenda? The Lisbon agenda, as distinct from the Lisbon treaty, was put out by European leaders and Heads of Government to be the direct competitor to the United States in terms of creating more jobs, reducing red tape, providing incentives for employers and initiatives for job creation. This is now a crisis.

From discussions I have had with my own grouping in Brussels, I think this is a real opportunity for Europe and the Heads of Government, of whom the Taoiseach is one, to revisit the Lisbon agenda which was never implemented properly or focused on properly by European Governments and which could be responded to very strongly by European Heads of Government backed by the European Central Bank. In my view, this is a real opportunity to put forward a very strong case for job creation throughout Europe proportionately in this sense and I would like the Taoiseach's views on this.

Last week I asked questions on the following matter. The Taoiseach intends to travel to Washington in March. Has he received an official invitation to the White House to meet President Obama? Are the officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs working with their counterparts in the US to make this a reality given its importance in terms of the relationship between Ireland and the United States and the circumstances in which we find ourselves at present?

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