I was talking about the EU Commissioner.

I will come to that. I believe there should be agreement in the House on the election of a new Ceann Comhairle. That is why I suggested that there should be a meeting or a discussion among the party leaders about it. I put that suggestion to the Taoiseach again.

In respect of the appointment of the EU Commissioner, I do not accept that this should be an office that is in the gift of the Government. We have had two referenda on the Lisbon treaty and we agreed it was necessary to ratify the treaty in the country's interest. The right to have a Commissioner appointed was secured before the second referendum took place. The holder of the Commissioner post should be seen as a representative of the country rather than the parties in government. There should, therefore, be agreement across the House on who should be appointed and there should certainly be consultation on the matter.

The Taoiseach should not proceed with the appointment of a new Commissioner on the basis that it is in the Government's gift and the Commissioner is a Government appointee. Last Friday's decision was made by the people and the Government should respond to that. A great deal of political generosity was shown by Fine Gael and the Labour Party in respect of support for the treaty and by the people who went to the polls last Friday and voted to ratify the treaty and continue our position in and strong link with the European Union, notwithstanding their dislike of the Government. Now that the referendum is over, it is wrong of the Taoiseach to state that the appointment of Commissioner is the prerogative of the Government. There should be consultation on the appointment of the Commissioner and the appropriate person should be appointed. I put it to the Taoiseach again that he should agree to have such consultation.

To return to the point Deputy Gilmore has again made, I did not suggest that the Commissioner would be appointed as a representative of the Government. The Commissioner will be a representative of the country. With respect, the suggestion that if the person to emerge were a member of my party or the Government or a supporter of the Government, it would in some way disqualify him or her or make him or her less qualified than some other way of doing it is not fair or just or a proper way to approach the issue.

Deputy Gilmore first suggested that we make an appointment by agreement. His second proposal is that it should be done on the basis of consultation. I have indicated to him that I am open to hear any views he has on the matter. That is a question of consultation. The question of agreement would suggest that the prerogative of Government in some way required the Deputy's agreement and consent. This was not afforded when the Labour Party was in government or by any other Government.

The Taoiseach is splitting hairs.

I am not. This is an important point. I indicated to the Deputy yesterday and again today, in a spirit of generosity, that if there were prospective candidates who should receive the consideration of the Government in respect of the issue, I am open to hear from the Deputy on the matter. That is a fair and honest assessment of the situation and one that is consistent with what I stated yesterday.

I would prefer if what I have to say were not regarded as less than generous compared with what Deputy Gilmore has to say. That is a fair and honest appraisal of the position in respect of the Government's responsibilities in this matter. They are no different from Governments' responsibilities on previous occasions. I do not recall a consultation process being offered to Fianna Fáil when it was in opposition.

It is hard to recall.

It is certainly hard to recall when one is in government, which is fair enough as it is not required. However, in an effort——

We agreed to the appointment of Padraig Flynn.

The Deputy will remember that the Labour Party, which was in government at that time — the Deputy was in a different party at that time — was agreeable to that appointment. It is hard to catch up with where everyone was at the time. Things improve as we go along.

I have given a fair indication to the Deputy that if he has an interest in this matter and if he forwards names of prospective candidates for consideration by the Government, I will certainly consider them. However, to suggest that I require his agreement in respect of a nominee is outside the prerogative of the Opposition. I am anxious to accommodate in whatever way I can, consistent with a consultation process, although not a process of ultimate agreement with the Deputy.

On the Deputy's question on the position of Ceann Comhairle, he will have noted from past elections to the position that various parties put forward candidates and we ended up having a vote. I would regard it as preferable to obtain a unanimous decision on this matter at this time. Again, I am prepared to listen to what Opposition leaders have to say about the matter. Informal consultation can take place in the next day or two to see what prospective candidates emerge. This needs to be done in a way that upholds the dignity of the House.