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Senator Mark Daly:     I also look forward to the debate on the negotiations that are taking place in Europe. It looks like we will be faced with a new EU treaty in the new year and a referendum. When I heard the interview with the Minister of State this morning, I was surprised that corporation tax was not on the agenda. A number of questions were raised in both Houses as to whether Ireland had set out a position. We had not even tabled for discussion the issue of corporation tax. President Sarkozy quite clearly has it in his sights and he wants to take away whatever competitive advantage Ireland has in trying to grow its way out of the current financial difficulties. I am concerned that we did not challenge him in the open forum available to us. I am equally concerned that this appears to be a fait accompli. We know the Germans and the French are running the show and everybody else is doing the rubberstamping. If instead of talking about handing over fiscal control and fiscal consolidation to Brussels and instead we were to say we were now handing over fiscal control and consolidation of checks and balances-----

Senator Ivana Bacik:     The Senator’s party did that.

Senator Mark Daly:     ----- to Whitehall-----

Senator Paul Coghlan:     These are things we have to do ourselves.

An Cathaoirleach:     Senator Daly without interruption.

Senator Mark Daly:     Is that my esteemed colleague, Senator Bacik? I will not remind her of the speech she gave two days ago about barracking in the Chamber.

We know the constraints of the IMF-EU bailout, the idea of which is that we would be able to work our way out. However, what is being proposed under the new EU treaty is that there would be permanent oversight of all governments’ spending. EU officials will see details of our budget before Deputies and Senators see them. If instead of that being done by Brussels and the EU, we were to say that would be done by Whitehall and Westminster, and that Britain was going to have oversight of our budgetary controls, what kind of reaction would people have then? Essentially once fiscal control and fiscal oversight is handed over, a large swathe of political control is handed over. We had a debate on the issue that in the past two years 140,000 people have stopped paying for private health insurance, including 43,000 people in the year up to September. I have received representations from people in Sneem and throughout Kerry about this issue, which will have a major long-term effect on us, because public waiting lists will go through the roof. I know the Minister is looking at the matter but he needs to address it because people will not be able to afford it. I had an interesting discussion with a garda in Kenmare recently in which he pointed out that road deaths are now being replaced by suicide. We have put people into their homes and they are drinking without any measure or control.

An Cathaoirleach:     The Senator is over time.

Senator Mark Daly:     Unfortunately the incidence of suicide is rising. While road deaths are reducing, we have replaced one means of death with another.