Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

This is not a particularly usual situation for the Houses of the Oireachtas. There is virtual unanimity on the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, with the exception of one political party. While I am advocating a "Yes" vote in the referendum, I accept that people have the right to make up their minds on this matter. All I ask is that campaigners be honest with the Irish people about the Bill. It is shocking to hear some people try to insert the issue of abortion into the debate on the Lisbon treaty. The treaty has nothing to do with abortion. That and other health matters remain issues for the sovereign nations.

The treaty is not about a unanimous and equal tax system across Europe. Taxation is a matter for the national authorities, yet some people are asserting that it is part of the treaty. The treaty is not about losing our neutrality or becoming less Irish. Ireland has been involved in many peacekeeping roles in the past and can be involved in many more in the future. We have secured great respect throughout Europe and beyond for our neutral stance. However, another lie has been perpetrated about this. I do not often use the word "lie" in parliamentary debate but so many untruths have been spoken about the treaty, it is hard to keep one's patience. The untruths are propounded by people who say they have read and understand the treaty, which makes it difficult for people who have not read and do not understand it to differentiate between what is true and false.

Another suggestion propounded by people who are supposed to be presenting the facts is that the treaty is a self-amending treaty and that when it is ratified, Europe will not have to refer back to the people again and will continue to amend the treaty to incorporate other issues. This is a scare tactic that should not be accepted or perpetrated. It is not true. Similarly, some people are trying to relate the Lisbon reform treaty to the WTO talks. The WTO negotiations are utterly separate from the Lisbon treaty. The farming community, of all sectors, must realise how important Europe has been for Ireland. That community, as well as many other sectors, has been a serious beneficiary of the European Union. The fishermen would not feel that they and their industry have benefited as much as the farming sector. I plead with people in the agriculture sector to realise the damage that could be done if they link the treaty to what is not in the treaty and link that to whether they vote "Yes" or "No".

I believe the treaty is good for Ireland. We have supported and voted for all previous treaties and each time Ireland and its citizens gained from them. The same people who opposed previous treaties now oppose the Lisbon treaty. We must consider that fact. If one is constantly against something from which Ireland benefits, then whose interests do those people have at heart? What are they propounding? I only want the facts to be available.

The question is why we need the treaty. We all know that any institution set up with six countries in mind cannot operate at the same level, in the same way or with the same efficiency and effectiveness when it becomes a group of 27 countries. There are 27 member states now and we must adapt the mechanisms and the administration to ensure the Union is effective and efficient for all.

The European Union and the rest of the world face new challenges that are best dealt with in a consolidated way with people working together. I am talking about issues such as global warming, energy security, globalisation and cross-border crime. By working together we can solve those issues. Ireland by itself cannot solve many of them. It is important therefore that we work with a treaty that can support Europe to be as efficient and effective as possible in these areas.

What are the reasons to vote "Yes"? The Union will be more democratic as a result of this treaty if it is passed. The European Parliament will have a greater role in making EU law and will gain greater oversight of the EU budget. The national parliaments will have a greater role as a result of this treaty and, via the citizen's initiative, citizens will have the right and ability to have their voices heard. The Union will be more efficient, its citizens will be better protected and the EU will be better equipped to meet global challenges.

We might look at the other treaties that have been passed. The Single European Act led to the Single Market and Structural Funds. Those that came to Border regions were hugely important to Ireland, not merely as a republic but as an island. The Maastricht treaty gave us the euro. If we look now at the strength of the euro now against the dollar and sterling we must acknowledge that if we were separate states with separate currencies, one could be played off against another at a time when currency fluctuations are quite serious. While the euro has its own challenges for business in terms of competitiveness, its strength is important for us in terms of personal finances. The establishment of the euro was a positive and important decision that came from the Maastricht treaty.

The Amsterdam and Nice treaties helped to end the Cold War and unify Europe. A unified and peaceful Europe is a better place for all Europeans. The Lisbon treaty equips Europe to deal with the challenges of today's world in a similar way to that in which previous treaties attempted to improve the situation at point of treaty, with all the pertinent contemporary difficulties.

We might examine the issue of justice and cross-border crime. I come from the Border area, near to the fourth largest city on the island and yet it is in a different jurisdiction. This issue is magnified if we look at crime in the context of the European area where people can be on the verges of a number of different borders. The Lisbon treaty contains important new provisions that will strengthen the EU's ability to fight cross-border crime, illegal immigration, trafficking of people, arms and drugs. These are key matters to us all as citizens of Europe, no matter where we live. As a Border representative, I believe this to be especially the case. As our legal system differs from those of most of our European partners, we will apply an opt-in, opt-out procedure that will enable Ireland to join in new arrangements case by case. The Government attached a strong declaration to the reform treaty making it clear that Ireland intended to join its European partners wherever possible, that we intend to participate in full with police co-operative measures and that we will apply all measures aimed at the freezing of terrorists' assets. That situation will be reviewed in three years' time.

If we look at Ireland's record regarding criminal assets it is clear that we have been at the forefront of attempts to deal with terrorism. We have not merely looked and thought, we have acted and reacted. We have discovered that we cannot do this alone. To those in other political parties who call themselves "Ourselves Alone" I would say that Europe has been good for us and we must value our international links while remaining Irish and maintaining an Irish identity. If we vote for this treaty we will retain the respect of Europe. I do not say that in a patronising way. Wherever one goes abroad one finds that people recognise that Ireland has always punched above its weight because it has an ability to work with other countries and maximise results for itself.

People who have isolationist views and who propound things that are not in this treaty are not being fair. In the next few weeks as we approach the treaty referendum and the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, I trust there will be honesty regarding what the treaty is about and there will be a fair chance for the people to say "Yes" again to further improvements in how EU member states will work together for the benefit of all the people of Europe.