THE LEGISLATION paving the way for a second Lisbon Treaty referendum could be available before the Dáil’s summer recess, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said.

“I cannot anticipate whether the legal guarantees that are being worked on will provide us with the outcome we desire based on the December European Council conclusions,” he said.

“However, if we get those, and if they are what are required, then of course that enables us to go to the people with a new package based on that detailed work being conducted and a decision of the European Council being made at the June meeting.”

Mr Cowen recalled that there was an agreement at the December meeting that, if the treaty came into force, all member states would retain a commissioner. It was also agreed that other concerns of the Irish people would be addressed satisfactorily, including appropriate legal guarantees. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said Ireland had been bad-mouthed around Europe because of the last referendum result.

“I hope the treaty is approved at the next referendum,” he added.

Mr Cowen said they had to approach the matter step-by-step, and it would not be appropriate to give an indication of detailed work in advance of it being completed.

Asked by Labour’s Joan Burton about the proposal to introduce legislation on blasphemy, Mr Cowen said it was a question of dealing with the issue in the interests of proceeding with the Defamation Bill while respecting the Constitution’s provisions on freedom of expression.

He said that Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern had been misrepresented as being motivated by other reasons. The Government was discussing the matter with the EU legal services and hoped to reach a conclusion by next month, he said.