Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Yes, we are in the process of pulling down one side of it. During the campaign, we felt it was important to deal with what the treaty could achieve rather than its content. During the first referendum campaign we spent much time reflecting on and explaining the content of the treaty. People were not interested in that and found it hard to digest its difficult terminology. If the role of the national parliament is to be enhanced, it may be necessary to amend Standing Orders so that the procedures to be put in place can be seen. Let us keep it simple and provide a mechanism whereby the role of the national parliament can be enhanced. We do not want to stand here in three or four years time, wondering at various measures which passed into law without scrutiny because the Oireachtas knew nothing about them. We can no longer blame the Minister for a directive, such as the water directive, because the parliament will have the power to examine them. It behoves Members of the Oireachtas to pay more attention to what is going on.

Let me return to the question of using inaccurate information to play on the voters' emotions. I often wondered during the campaign whether there would be merit in setting up an electoral commission to consider the conduct of election campaigns and to produce a report on them. That is currently being examined by the Government and the Standards in Public Office Commission. While one battle might be won there will be other battles in the future. It is important that the public would know about the credibility of the various groups that participate in a campaign. Some of the information that was disseminated about the minimum wage was outrageous. Many people still probably hold such information to be valid. It is important that an independent body would pass judgment on campaigns. I include all sides; the "Yes" side, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party should all be subject to the same criteria. One can ask how accurate were the claims we made. The next time something is on the horizon people would be able to note what certain groups had said in the past. That would give rise to more responsible campaigning by all groups. We should examine that matter.

In the past year a great deal was written about the Lisbon treaty and I am sure members of the Government were confronted with that every time they went to Europe, but at the end of the day the issue went through silently. It slipped through with no great celebration or homecoming with a cup. We are very supportive of the legislation.

I alluded previously to section 4, which specifies that the Minister can create indictable offences by secondary legislation. Will he refer to that in his reply? When the European Communities Act 2007 was introduced, reservations were expressed by some speakers.

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