Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It was said earlier that if we were to favour the holding of simultaneous referendums North and South on the same day, we would be allowing the British Secretary of State to set the agenda. If both Governments are at opposites and there is no agreement on putting that question to the people, then we are in a difficult place. We want to see that everybody will be comfortable with a referendum being held at that time. As a practising politician, I believe it would be ludicrous not to have the question put to the people on all of this island on the same day.

The two words "stability" and "inclusivity" were mentioned by Dr. Tannam, which is extremely important. She also made the point that leading up to a referendum, we need the Irish and British Governments to work more closely through the different institutional arrangements in place. The political architecture is there for this, along with more North-South co-operation.

I have often argued that a necessary component in preparing for a referendum would be maximising the existing potential of the Good Friday Agreement which has not been done at the present time. For the benefit of all the people on this island, using all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement is an essential preparation for the holding of a referendum.