Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 May 1996

Vol. 466 No. 3

Written Answers. - Intergovernmental Conference.

Seán Haughey

Ceist:

38 Mr. Haughey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the proposals, if any, he has to ensure that the public is kept well informed of the deliberations of the forthcoming Intergovernmental conference, particularly in view of the difficulty experienced in transmitting, in an easily understood manner, the thrust of the Maastricht Treaty. [11117/96]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

The Government is very aware of the need for openness and public debate in relation to the Intergovernmental conference which opened in Turin on 29 March. For the Intergovernmental conference to be a success, it must be transparent in its conduct and comprehensible in its outcome. We have sought since last year, including through the preparation and publication of the White Paper on Foreign Policy, which was the subject of extensive public consultation, to encourage informed public debate about the issues likely to arise at the Intergovernmental conference and their implications for Ireland and Europe.

The Oireachtas has been kept fully informed in relation to the Intergovernmental conference including through statements and the detailed replies which the Taoiseach, myself and the Minister of State for European Affairs have given in reply to parliamentary questions. Prior to the opening of the conference itself, the Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on several occasions as well as Seanad Éireann on the work of the Intergovernmental conference Reflection Group on which he was Ireland's representative. Copies of the Reflection Group report were given to all Members of the Oireachtas and a copy was lodged in the Oireachtas Library.

More recently, subsequent to the opening of the Intergovernmental conference, the White Paper has been the subject of debate in both the Dáil and Seanad. Moreover, I addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs on the White Paper. We will continue to keep the Oireachtas including the relevant Oireachtas committees fully briefed on developments. I and other members of the Government have also sought in various speeches and otherwise to stimulate public debate more generally about the Intergovernmental conference. We will continue to do so throughout the Intergovernmental conference process.

In parallel with greater openness, the Government believes that the outcome of the Intergovernmental Conference should both be comprehensible to the public and also tackle the most direct concerns of citizens. We have made it clear that we will attach particular priority to this aspect of the work of the Intergovernmental conference.

As well as encouraging debate at national level, we will have a particular responsibility during our Presidency to make every effort to ensure that the broader European, public is kept informed of developments at the Intergovernmental conference. During our Presidency, we will ensure that there are regular press briefings for the European media more generally on developments at the Intergovernmental conference and that every effort is made to ensure transparency and openness in the process.