Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

This is our last Leaders' Questions before the Dáil rises for the summer recess. It comes on the eve of a critically important meeting for this country and for the future of Europe. We have talked in this House again and again about the fact that while Ireland has spent the past two years doing its bit, making the correct decisions and taking the corrective action to ensure recovery, Europe has consistently failed to appreciate or implement a comprehensive Union-wide approach.

On this side of the House we have watched as an agreed reduction in the interest rate on our loans slipped from Ireland's grasp in March but the Taoiseach still refuses to reveal the details of what we were offered via President Van Rompuy's compromise and what we were asked to do in return. We have heard the rhetoric about diplomatic offensives but listened with amazement as the Taoiseach confirmed he has not had one single substantive bilateral meeting with a eurozone leader since becoming Taoiseach.

We have been encouraged by some of the briefings that have come out of Europe this week, that they finally understand the need to get to grips with this crisis, but we discovered yesterday, in disbelief, that the Taoiseach has not spoken to a single leader in advance of tomorrow's crunch meeting. Can the Taoiseach explain how people are supposed to be reassured that Ireland is well placed to take advantage of this crunch meeting when he continues to maintain a hands off, hope it will work out approach to his dealings with other European leaders?

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