asked Her Majesty's Government:

What recommendations they anticipate from the European Council on 19 and 20 June to deal with delays in the ratification of the Lisbon treaty; and [HL4359]

When they plan to instigate informal discussions with representatives of the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Ireland to discuss proposals for a possible resumption of the process of ratification of the Lisbon treaty. [HL4360]

Following the result of the Irish referendum on 12 June, the European Council on 19 to 20 June agreed to Ireland’s suggestion to discuss this issue at its meeting of 15 October 2008 in order to consider the way forward. The Council conclusions state that:

“The European Council agreed that more time was needed to analyse the situation. It noted that the Irish government will actively consult, both internally and with the other Member States, in order to suggest a common way forward.

Recalling that the purpose of the Lisbon Treaty is to help an enlarged Union to act more effectively and more democratically, the European Council noted that the parliaments in 19 Member States have ratified the Treaty and that the ratification process continues in other countries”.

On 23 June, in his post-Council Statement, the Prime Minister set out these agreed next steps on the Lisbon treaty to Parliament. (Official Report, Commons. col. 23), which I repeated to the House of Lords on the same day (Official Report, col. 1239).