Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

If there were ever a case of a motion being overtaken by events, I suppose this is it. It does not matter whether we like the proposed timing of the referendum or the substance of the decision, because the decision has been taken. There are differing views on such matters. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform made a cogent and reasoned case for what he is doing. I welcome the generally calm tone of the debate in the House. Such a tone has not been a feature of all aspects of the debate on citizenship.

I completely disagree with the main thrust of the argument that has been made by speakers on the other side of the House. They have said that having a referendum on this issue on the same day as the European and local elections will heighten racist tensions. I recall that when there was a referendum on abortion, which is another emotive subject, on the same day as a general election in 1992, the issue being voted on in the referendum was practically buried. Some people might argue that it was not necessarily a bad thing, but the debate on the issue did not become highly emotive and did not affect people's voting decisions in the election.

I would like to make a prediction. I do not think that the substance of what is being proposed is very controversial. I notice that it has not been the subject of a full-frontal attack from any side in this House. I do not think that local council candidates will spend their time discussing or hyping it. It will be dealt with separately by a referendum. If we want to keep the temperature down, the proposed vote may not be such a bad way of proceeding.

I accept that there are tensions and that it is in all our interests to keep them down. I wish that Opposition speakers would not continue to throw charges of racism at the Government, as I do not think such charges can be sustained. The Government has done a remarkably good job in this area in the last six years. I accept there was an element of trial and error at the beginning, but that was because we were on a steep learning curve, not having faced the problem before. I would like us to have an asylum and immigration system in which people have confidence and which is fair, firm and reasonably liberal. I think the current regime, including this proposal, satisfies all those conditions. Such a system will reduce the tensions and pressures that exist.

I do not accept for a second that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has somehow had the wool pulled over his eyes by his Government partners in some sort of political conspiracy. He is very much his own man. He has brought forward these proposals, which have emerged from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I totally reject the racist epithets applied to civil servants on the Order of Business this morning. I hope that the person who made the remarks receives a proper letter from the relevant trade union, which the Labour Party is supposed to represent.