Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I did not ask about corporate tax; I asked whether the Taoiseach raised the issue of unilateral burden-sharing, which he clearly did not. He has confirmed that he did not raise this at the meeting itself.

We visited other capitals - I certainly did - and the Taoiseach should do that in the period between now and June. That would be worthwhile and constructive. There is no point in making petty political points about it; I just think it is a good thing to do, and should be done.

The recall of ambassadors happens every year. It does not have to be part of a programme for Government. It is a fairly basic thing to recall ambassadors for a general discussion, and this tends to be done anyway as a normal part of operations. There are regular briefings for missions about the objectives of the Government and the external objectives of various Ministers and Departments in economic and foreign policy.

I note the Taoiseach's comments that there are now no towering figures in Europe, as in previous years. I made that point in the debate last week, and it is a serious issue for this country. Every time, the response is too late. The issue with Portugal arose in the 24 hours before the recent summit. The reaction to similar events in Greece was too late. All along, even the changes to the pact and the permanent mechanism have been too late and have failed to convince the markets. The international credibility of Europe and the pact for Europe has been reduced considerably because of this.

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