Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 30 June 2016

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised)

9:00 am

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In respect of the citizens' assembly, I take the Deputy's point that this is a citizens' assembly but this is an issue that has divided Irish society for over 30 years. The first issue they will examine is the eighth amendment in terms of its completeness. It is important to have a national conversation among citizens, and that is one way of doing it. It will come back to the legislators, believe me. The assembly will have access to the expertise it needs including medical, legal, constitutional and so on and from the Oireachtas committee will come recommendations to the Dáil. If that is the case, people will eventually be asked to vote on those, and they will vote according to their conscience.

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