David Norris (Independent)

I congratulate our colleague, Senator Bacik, on raising the question of whether it is suitable to imprison women for minor offences. I regret male Members of the Houses are not invited to the meeting on this later because it is important that men, who are coequals as legislators, should be involved in these discussions. The overwhelming majority of the prison population is male and an overwhelming element of that population comes from certain inner city districts in our principal cities. I would like that issue examined and not just the rights of women because what is sauce for the gander is also sauce for the goose.

I refer to the Lisbon treaty, which has been extensively discussed on the Order of Business. Allegations have been made that people have not been told the truth. Sometimes this is the result of a misunderstanding or misinformation but a case I took some years ago to the European Court of Human Rights has been widely canvassed as being a reason for voting "Yes". The case was taken under Council of Europe, not European Union, rules to the European Court of Human Rights, not the European Court of Justice.

I have raised serious questions about militarisation that will continue under the treaty. That is one of the reasons I have considerable problems about it. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to come to the House to clarify the position of Enterprise Ireland vis-á-vis the European Defence Agency? Who is representing Enterprise Ireland at meetings of the EDA? What type of meetings of the EDA are being attended by EI? How many EDA meetings has EI attended? The Minister for Defence should also attend the House to answer questions. What projects is Ireland involved in within the EDA, which used to be called the European Armaments Group? What do the projects entail? What is their purpose? What are the financial implications for those participating? What, if any, financial contribution is Ireland making or expected to make? Can we have clarity on these matters? Is Ireland part of the EDA's intergovernmental regime for defence procurement? If so, why was there no discussion in the Dáil on the decision to join the EDA or this regime? These are serious matters.

I was laughed at in the House and told I was a flake for raising the question of the increasing militarisation of Europe under the Lisbon treaty. I have clear and specific questions and I would like the relevant Ministers to come to the House to answer them. Will the Minister for Defence define what is "common defence"? I would like him to give us a detailed briefing on the financial implications of Ireland's membership of the EDA. The people of Ireland are entitled to clear, factual answers, which should be given in advance of the vote on the treaty.