Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I welcome Senator Niall Ó Brolcháin to the Seanad Chamber and congratulate him on his successful election yesterday. I believe he will make a very valuable contribution to the debate that occurs in this House. It is a good day for the Green Party because we have increased our representation in the Seanad by 50% overnight. I have no doubt Senator Ó Brolcháin will provide very effective representation for the people of the west, as Senator Boyle has provided great representation for the south while I have done my best for the east. We will have great representation for the people in the west on all the many issues they want to see promoted and advanced within the Houses of the Oireachtas.

I ask that we would invite the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Dick Roche, to address the House on the issue of the citizens' initiative that has been introduced as part of the Lisbon treaty. The Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs, of which I am a member, discussed the issue this afternoon. A Green Paper has been issued by the Commission and all public submissions have to be made on that Green Paper by 31 January.

Members of the Seanad will find that people will approach them about this initiative and it is important, at this early stage, that we influence how it will work. Important questions arise, such as the number of member states from which the initiative should come, the number of signatories per member state, and how Ireland, as a small member state, has a vested interest in ensuring it is not discriminated against in terms of any such citizens' initiative owing to our small population. There is also the issue of the minium age of signatories to the citizens' initiative and the issues of transparency and funding around any campaign that surrounds such an initiative. These are important issues and I ask that the Minister of State would appear before the House to explain the Government's position on the way in which the citizens' initiative will roll out.