Ruairí Quinn
Question:8 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the White Paper on Maastricht will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Maastricht White Paper.
Dick Spring
Question:15 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the White Paper on the Maastricht conclusions will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 15 together.
Work on the White Paper on the Treaty on European Union is at present well advanced and the White Paper will be published next month.
The White Paper will outline the course of the negotiations which led to the Maastricht Treaty. It will contain the Government's assessment of the outcome and will comment in some detail on the contents. The Houses of the Oireachtas and the people will shortly be asked to endorse the Treaty. The aim of the White Paper will be to ensure that in reaching their respective decisions the Houses of the Oireachtas and the people will be fully informed of the impact of the issues involved.
May I ask the Minister — I want to be reasonable in my request at this stage — if it is his intention that as much attention will be given in the White Paper to the economic implications of the proposals as to the monetary ones? We should bear in mind that the monetary consequences of the Maastricht proposals have been expressed with such specificity and there has been much public concern about the lack of clarity on the economic side. Will the White Paper contain comprehensive information in that regard?
I will presume to interpret what the Deputy has said and if I am wrong I am sure he will correct me. As presently envisaged the White Paper will outline the Government's approach to the intergovernmental conferences on political union and economic and monetary union. It will assess the outcome of the negotiations and indicate why the Government will recommend to the Oireachtas and the people that the Treaty be endorsed.
In relation to the White Paper, I have asked my Department to issue a booklet outlining the key aspects of the Treaty mentioned by the Deputy and the reason Ireland signed the Treaty at Maastricht on 7 February last. Copies of the Treaty in both Irish and English are available in the Library, but if any Deputy requests a copy for his personal use I will be glad to make it available.
Would the Minister accept that we have a fair bit of ground to make up from the point of view of having a reasoned and reasonable debate on the Maastricht Treaty and that this has been contributed to by the fact that a Foreign Affairs Committee were not set up last year and we did not have a White Paper setting out the Government's position before the Treaty? In view of this would the Minister now accept that there is a need, both on his part and on the part of the Government, to pursue a very active policy to ensure that people fully understand the issues and that the predictable opponents who are already producing ill-founded and emotional arguments against the case will not carry the day?
I am very grateful to the Deputy for his support in advance of the publication of the White Paper. I appreciate his support for the Treaty. It is my intention, within my competence, to produce a document which contains a formula of words which is as brief and simple as possible and which is in no way patronising to the community. Hopefully, this document will set out the Government's position in simple language, language which people will understand and appreciate. In other words, I want to ensure that there will be no confusion as regards the meaning, our intentions and the future of this country so far as Maastricht is concerned. As the Deputy said, there will be certain opposition to the Treaty. Of course, people are entitled to oppose the Treaty. If the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty fails, the consequences for this country over the next ten or 20 years in economic and development terms are too horrendous to contemplate.
Absolutely.
Arising from the exchange we have just heard, I believe it would be a very bad beginning if one dismissed one's opponents as emotional before the debate starts.
It has already started.
Let us have an orderly Question Time, please.
Deputy O'Keeffe knows they are making a case for democracy and the tolerance of democracy. These questions which were put down by members of the Labour Party make reference to a White Paper and no more or less than that. Would the Minister agree that the constitutional and parliamentary obligation of a White Paper is to set out options and not to sink to being simply an electoral document which is judged as successful if it gets the right outcome, like Deputy O'Keeffe's point of view, and unsuccessful and emotional if it facilitates people in weighing several different options and exercising their vote upon them?
I want to make it clear that it was not I who suggested that there should not be an emotional response to this issue. In a democracy anyone who is opposed to the Maastricht Treaty is entitled to be so opposed. We will have to try to convince those people who have a counter view that our view is right. They may seek to do the same thing with us.
In relation to the other part of the Deputy's question, as I said, the White Paper will outline the Government's approach to the issue. I am sure all the issues of concern to the Deputy will be encapsulated in that document. Having studied the document we will then be able to hear and appreciate the Deputy's party's point of view on the matter.
I rise simply to ask if the booklet the Minister intends to produce will present a balanced view of the Maastricht Treaty. In other words, will it present the down side as well as the up side of the aspects on which the electorate will be expected to pass judgment? There is little enough purpose in having a referendum for approval of something if people are not aware of what precisely they are agreeing to and what the good and bad points are. I know it will be difficult for a Government who have entered into negotiations and agreed to a Treaty amendment to do this as well as they might otherwise do. Nevertheless, in the interest of a calm and rational debate it is important that the Government produce material which is seen to be balanced, calm and rational.
I can assure the Deputy that the White Paper on Maastricht will put forward a balanced view so that people will understand and appreciate what they are being asked to agree and vote on. They will be left in no doubt about this.
In an early response the Minister referred to the horrific scenario which would be unveiled if the Maastricht referendum were to fail. Is it not appropriate at this stage to give serious consideration to the establishment of a Foreign Affairs Committee?
That is a specific matter.
I am most surprised that the Minister did not make a proper response to the Fascist-like remarks of Deputy O'Keeffe who sought to demean opposition to the Maastricht Treaty——
Let us not personalise the question.
It is very important because it is an attack on democracy by the people in Fine Gael. I appreciate the Minister's reply to Deputy De Rossa. Nevertheless, he should give serious consideration to proper funding for the opposition to Maastricht campaign to enable an even-handed approach to be taken.
That is a separate matter altogether. Let us proceed to No. 9 and make some progress.
Perhaps the Minister will reply.
May I be allowed to intervene?
If the Deputy asks a relevant question devoid of personalties.
Would the Minister accept that the comment we have just heard from the entire membership of the Green Party is not the kind of rational contribution or reasonable debate we should have in relation to Maastricht?
The Deputy started it.
What we need in relation to this referendum is a reasoned and reasonable debate so that democracy will prevail.
I cannot adjudicate on Fine Gael and the Green Party; that is a matter for the Ceann Comhairle. It will certainly be my intention to seek a reasonable and reasoned debate.