Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I put it to the Taoiseach that he has neglected the public dimension to this debate and to the preparations leading up to the treaty to an alarming degree. In December, we asked in the House for a special Oireachtas committee to be established to enable the issues around the treaty to be teased out by parliamentarians here, but the Taoiseach rejected that constructive suggestion of mine at the time. The people do not want to be dismissed. However, with the way Ministers are approaching this, there is a sense that the people are being dismissed. When a Minister says that referendums are anti-democratic, that leads people to think in the direction that they are being dismissed. The comments made by Deputy Varadkar on the validity of a referendum raise that issue.

I did not expect to get a clear answer from the Taoiseach on a referendum or legal advice and so on, although I believe the Attorney General has been all over this for the past number of months, as would be normal and natural. What work was undertaken by the Government in preparation for this treaty in terms of its impact on the fiscal situation and future budgets? Has work been undertaken and has an analysis been undertaken with regard to the impact of the treaty on future budgets and the parameters around those budgets? Has there been an assessment of the impact of this treaty on jobs and job creation? We read today that there is a 10.5% average unemployment rate across the 17 eurozone states. Will the Taoiseach confirm that work has been undertaken by the Government with regard to the impact of the treaty? Will he publish that work straight away?

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