Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

On the Lisbon treaty, several points have been made across the floor on the Government side. There has been talk of issues decided in Brussels which constitute excessive regulation. The reality is that every measure agreed in Brussels is agreed by the Government and the relevant Minister who attends the Council. One cannot wash one's hands of decisions made in Brussels since we are part of the decision-making process. It is a cop-out for the Government and the representatives of Fianna Fáil to complain about several of these measures. It is the manner of implementation of these measures with which people find fault. This applies to the legislation that is passed in these Houses and the way it is implemented. We have seen this previously with the habitats directive and water charges where there is specific flexibility——