The Government is conscious of the reason Ireland will be the last country to ratify the treaty. Had the people not voted "No" in the first referendum, we would have expected to have completed the necessary procedures more than a year ago. However, while this would clearly have made our lives considerably simpler, we would not have had the thorough and detailed debate on the future of the European Union and Ireland's role in it that led up to the second referendum. We have all gained from the experience, difficult as it was.