Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

It is an important question for the Leader. These were prepared quite some time before the meeting of the European Heads of State, as they do not go into that minutiae. That is agreed before the European Council, and the Government has clearly agreed and given a commitment on these areas. It has sought and got assurances. I welcome the result but the Government is failing in not informing this House and the Oireachtas in general as to what it is doing on the Lisbon treaty. A price will be paid for that when the Lisbon referendum process gets under way.

I welcome the U-turn by the Leader in allowing debate on the Order of Business where there is an extension of sittings. I make reference to the Bill put forward by Fine Gael regarding admissibility of evidence and the exclusion rule that applies, particularly in criminal law cases. I know it is the practice of the Government to reject any Bill that comes from this side of the House. The Labour Party put forward a Bill seeking to have a witness protection programme put on a statutory footing. What is unique in this case is that the issue of dealing with this exclusionary rule was part of the programme for Government, yet it chose to reject the Bill. In his statement, the Minister outlined why there is a need for change in the rule.

I appreciate there are issues and concerns expressed from all sides of the House, which could have been addressed if the debate had been extended. I have no friends in Government, but it is rather perverse that it seeks to reject out of hand further debate on an issue that is part of its own programme for Government. Will the Leader comment on that?