Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I do not intend to publish the formal legal advice of the Attorney General except to say she advised the Government formally that, on balance, in consideration of the wording of the fiscal stability treaty, she considers that for it to be ratified, the people must be asked and a referendum must be held. I have been very clear all along that if the advice of the Attorney General was that a referendum should be held, then it should be. The decision not to publish the legal advice is in keeping with the long tradition of not publishing legal advice given by the Attorney General to the Government of the day. I agree fully with the Deputy that it is important that Irish citizens have the fullest possible information on what the treaty actually means. The questions of the future of the country and its people and our place in Europe are important for job creation, growth and continued investment.

No date has been fixed for the holding of the referendum. Deputy Micheál Martin is aware that it will be necessary to put together a referendum Bill which will have to take account of the question that will appear on the ballot paper. A referendum commission will have to be established and a competent person found to chair it. The publication of a fiscal responsibility Bill which will deal with the elements of the treaty that need to be enshrined in Irish law will also be required. The Government will reflect on these matters. The treaty has to be ratified by 1 January 2013, on which date the train for the future of Europe will leave the station. I consider it important that Ireland be clearly seen to be on that train.

I thank the Deputy for expressing his view of the country and support for the treaty. From his own experience he is aware of the timelines in this regard. There is a need to have a set period between publication of a referendum Bill and the establishment of a referendum commission. The Government will reflect on this matter again next week. The Tánaiste has written to the Attorney General on behalf of the Government and will bring a memo to the Government. The referendum has to be held before 1 January 2013 and the Government will consider the most appropriate date for it. People need to have sufficient time to obtain the fullest information possible on it. The Government has not yet made a decision on whether it will take place before or after the summer.

I have noted the comments made in the Financial Times about the promissory note. The Minister involved was responding to a specific question asked by the interviewer. I wish to make it clear that these matters are entirely separate. A great deal of intensive work and activity are taking place on the issue of greater flexibility for Ireland with regard to the payments it has to make. Clearly, if that work is brought to a successful outcome, it will enable Ireland to deal more adequately with its deficit and make it easier for it to repay its debts. There is no timeline in this regard and I have not put a timeline on it. I cannot speak for the governors of the eurozone central banks or the other elements of the troika.

The Deputy also asked about the comments made on national radio this morning by Mr. Quinn of Dow Jones. I can confirm that no deal has been done in this regard and that no deal of the order suggested by Mr. Quinn is on the table for decision. I will not heighten anybody's expectations. The Government is doing a great deal of work on this complex, difficult and sensitive issue in the interests of the nation. I will not stand up and commit to a heightened expectation that this can be delivered in a fortnight or three weeks. This is a serious matter for the country, the economy and the people. We will continue to work diligently, following the initiative taken by the troika when it undertook to produce a paper on the basis of the flexibility of what we have to repay with regard to the promissory note.

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