Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

Perhaps the Tánaiste could find a few million to extend medical cards to those who were promised them. Maybe she could restore a few very badly needed community employment schemes, particularly in those areas where unemployment is rising by the day. Maybe she would be better off if she listened to those people.

I ask the Leader of the House to convene a debate as soon as possible on the report just published by the Convention on the Future of Europe. This House has played a valuable role in the past year in particular on this whole issue, having had members of the convention come to speak to us and to hear our views on the proceedings of the convention. If we have learnt any lessons from the Treaty of Nice and the debate on it, it is that early warning and early debate are extremely important. This House has a role to play in that. Clearly, some very important issues for the future of Europe and our role in the future of Europe, in particular as a small state, have emerged from the published report and I ask for a very early debate on it.

I also put it to the Leader of the House, as have other speakers, that we need to look at the whole issue of inflation. I know we will touch on it later today but I would particularly like to hear the views of the relevant Minister – I think it is the Minister for the Environment and Local Government – on the whole issue of retail strategy and, in particular, the size of very large out of town retail outlets sought by overseas companies wishing to come here and the potential effects on local industry and on towns which many of us represent. It is important that we do that at an early stage.