Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

We have written to the Business Committee seeking a debate on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, this week. It is vital that we have such a debate. It is clear that the Taoiseach has not read the judgment on CETA but the whole House needs to familiarise itself with it because it is clear that the legislation is not sufficient. It states:

...while such legislation is necessary, this in itself would not be sufficient. The Constitution does not permit the Government to ratify CETA nor the Oireachtas to enact the appropriate legislation giving effect to that decision for so long as the defences...to enforcement of a CETA Tribunal award under the ICSID and the New York Conventions respectively remain as circumscribed as they currently are. The gravamen of the constitutional objection which I have upheld is that, upon ratification of CETA as is currently proposed, the High Court would be virtually powerless to refuse the enforcement of a CETA Tribunal award.

It is also incorrect to say the agreement is about the expansion of trade and so on; this is about an investor court system. It is also incorrect that being in the EU gives us protection. We should look at the Canadian mining company suing Romania and another Canadian company is suing Croatia so we need to debate it this week.

See this speech in context