Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin TD has called on the Government to immediately publish the detailed advice and impact assessments they received on the fiscal and economic implications of the Fiscal Pact agreed by the Government last night. In particular, he has sought further information about the fiscal limits within the Intergovernmental Treaty.
Deputy Martin commented, “The Government’s approach to this entire process has been deeply disappointing. To date, the main thrust of the Government’s efforts appears to have been to keep people in the dark and to find a way to avoid having a public debate on the subject.
“If we learned nothing else from Lisbon 1, we should have learned the importance of giving people full access to the facts and involving them fully in mature debate. In the context of the deal done by the Government last night, we need to be aware of the exact limitations being placed on Ireland in this Treaty.
“Treating people dismissively and rejecting valid enquiry will only have the effect of further alienating the public and increasing the sense of distance and disconnect from the European project. The Government needs to review its approach urgently and have the confidence to make the case for what they agreed.”