FINE GAEL has called for scheduled parliamentary business to be put aside when the Dáil resumes next Wednesday after the summer recess, so as to allow for a two-day emergency debate on what it calls "the deepening economic crisis".
The call was issued yesterday after a frontbench meeting held at the end of the parliamentary party "think-in" held in Co Clare.
Pointing out that the first item on the Dáil agenda at present was a tax agreement with the Isle of Man, Macedonia and Vietnam, frontbench spokesman Simon Coveney said: "In the two days of the Dáil sitting next week the Government proposes no discussion or debate on our deepening economic crisis.
"Fine Gael wants the Dáil to be given a full update on the current state of the economy and the public finances and an explanation of the plans that the Government has - to protect jobs across the economy, and not just in the construction sector; stall and reverse the relentless rise in prices across the economy; take control of our public finances while securing and protecting essential frontline services."
Meanwhile, party leader Enda Kenny has indicated a preference for dealing with the Lisbon Treaty impasse by way of a second referendum rather than through the parliamentary process.
Asked if he was in favour of any part of the treaty being ratified by the Oireachtas, Mr Kenny said: "The people were asked the question, I would not like to try to circumvent that by some other legal mechanism."
Asked to clarify further whether he believed the treaty should be ratified through the Dáil or by referendum he replied: "It won't be done through the Dáil, no. Is that clear enough?"
He continued: "There are only two options open, either you find a way through the Dáil and some legal mechanism, which is not a runner now because they weren't asked that question in the beginning; or you examine the reasons why they voted No in the referendum, can you address those reasons, are there changed circumstances in which the people might be asked again?"
Fine Gael supported the proposal to establish a subcommittee of the Joint European Affairs Committee to study the referendum outcome. As regards the choice of chair for the subcommittee, he said: "My understanding is that this will be a person from within the Oireachtas. Fine Gael chair the Committee on European Affairs and it will be my responsibility to nominate the chairperson of the subcommittee."
He believed members of the Oireachtas who had opposed the treaty should be included on the subcommittee and that this was the intention."That's only right and proper."
On the European elections, he expected all the selection conventions for Fine Gael candidates to be completed by the end of February. The party currently has five MEPs: "What we want to do is to hold on to the seats that we have."