Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

——and produced what I regard as a very important report which will frame the agenda for much, if not all, of next year. I have more than a passing interest in this topic and will facilitate further debate on it in any way I can.

In the Dáil, we have decided on a regular — if possible, monthly — basis to have a debate on European issues. There are many European scrutiny reports that never see the light of day. I spent two years on that committee and know what goes through undetected. Perhaps that is something this House could also look at and set aside dedicated time each month for a debate on European matters.

As the Taoiseach stated in the Dáil on Wednesday, the outcome of last week's European Council represents a very major step towards delivering the way forward concerning the Lisbon treaty. It provides us with a clear path for how Ireland, together with our EU partners, will address the issue of the Lisbon treaty during the year ahead. What was achieved was the product of painstaking work undertaken in the months since the referendum. This included the Government's efforts to understand and analyse what lay behind the votes cast last June; our close work with all parties in the Oireachtas in the Sub-Committee on Ireland's Future in the European Union, the report of which was such a valuable input; and our detailed discussions and negotiations with partners at EU level, especially the French Presidency under the expert guidance of President Sarkozy.

Last week's agreement does not mark the end of the process. Turning it into concrete commitments — the legal guarantees promised in the Council conclusions — will be the subject of much detailed work in the months ahead. However, it offers a solid basis on which the concerns raised by Irish people about the Lisbon treaty can be addressed. I would highlight, in particular, the agreement to retain one Commissioner per member state. If Lisbon enters into force, Ireland, like all member states, will maintain the right to nominate a Commissioner to every Commission. This concession was hard won. A considerable number of member states were strongly of the view that a smaller Commission would be a more effective one. But, despite this, all of them listened carefully to our concerns and were prepared to compromise and to move to meet our position.

We should be very clear that for this agreement to take effect, the Lisbon treaty has to enter into force. If we remain under Nice, the size of the European Commission will be reduced from next year and there can be no guarantee that the 2009-14 Commission would contain an Irish member. Only by ratifying Lisbon can we secure the continued presence of an Irish person at the Commission table.

On the other issues of concern to the Irish people, including taxation policy, social and ethical issues, as well as our traditional policy of military neutrality, the EU leaders have given a solemn commitment that our concerns will be fully addressed to our satisfaction. In pursuit of this, Ireland will be provided with the necessary legal guarantees. This is a most significant undertaking and again demonstrates the effort our European partners are prepared to make to offer us the reassurances we sought. Over the months ahead, we will have to flesh out the precise form and content of these guarantees. I have every expectation that our partners will work with us in good faith and that this work will yield positive results for Ireland.

During this time we will also be giving careful consideration to measures we can take at national level to provide further reassurance about elements of the Lisbon treaty. Naturally, we will be giving careful consideration to how to address the recommendations of Senator Donohoe's sub-committee. The sub-committee's report envisages greater engagement by the Oireachtas in the workings of the European Union. This is to be very warmly welcomed and encouraged and the Lisbon treaty explicitly provides for such enhanced involvement by national parliaments in EU affairs.

The Houses of the Oireachtas, including the Seanad, have a unique and critical role to play in bringing important EU issues to public attention. Through enhanced and extended debate of European issues in these Houses, the Oireachtas can bring the work of the EU that bit closer to the Irish people. Regrettably, it is abundantly clear from the detailed research commissioned by the Government following the June referendum that a significant knowledge deficit exists. Not only did many people lack understanding about the provisions of the Lisbon treaty, they had little solid knowledge about the operation of the European Union itself. It will be vital to the success of any future referendum on the Lisbon treaty, that we address this deficit and find a means to communicate to the public how important the outcome of any referendum will be for Ireland.

We are working intensively to identify ways in which we can improve how European issues are communicated generally. This is an issue on which we can benefit from a Europe-wide approach, and the Government has been working closely with the European Commission and the European Parliament to explore what can usefully be done in this important area. Early in the new year the Government plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with those institutions with a view to progressing this co-operative approach. The Government has sought additional expertise to assist in ongoing communications about Ireland's EU membership and related issues.

Over the period ahead, the Government will continue to work closely with the main Opposition parties. As the Taoiseach emphasised last week, this is an issue of great national importance to Ireland, over and above party differences. We cannot and will not allow party politics to get in the way of pursuing the best way forward for Ireland.