Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)

I congratulate former Senator Alan Kelly on his new role in the European Parliament. I am sure he will be a great success. He will be missed in this House.

It is on a European note that I wish to speak. I support the request from my colleagues for a debate on the Lisbon treaty. We find ourselves in the run-in to another referendum and in an environment where there appears to be support for the treaty being passed. There appears also to be acknowledgement that we need Europe for Ireland to survive and prosper but we are all aware these are the exact conditions that were in place in the run up to the last Lisbon referendum, which was so comprehensively defeated.

The obvious political point to make is that a Government which, during the summer, will be associated with the closure of children's wards in a national children's hospital and the preparation of what will probably be the most searing budget in the recent history of our country is the same Government that will be asking the people to vote "Yes" to this treaty. Given the dissolution of the National Forum on Europe it is imperative that debate on the Lisbon treaty and the potential guarantees be brought firmly back into the Oireachtas.

There are two points on which we could well spend our time. First, what is the legal status of these guarantees and, second, what will be the role of the Oireachtas in regard to all matters European? The consequences of this referendum and its impact on the future of our country are truly chilling. If it is defeated for a second time, we will find ourselves on the edge of Europe again, potentially alongside the Conservative-led United Kingdom. That is where we were 100 years ago and I do not want to go back there. The Oireachtas could play a powerful role in making sure that does not happen and I ask the Leader to respond urgently to the request we are all making on this issue today.