Mr. Feargal Ó Coigligh:

The history of a possible wording of a constitutional referendum goes back some time. It was discussed by this committee under the previous Department. Government decisions were made that indicated it would be considered. There have been discussions with the Attorney General's office on its wording, and some of that is on the Dáil record.

In regard to discussions under way, the Minister is kept apprised of all the developments. He has met the unions and is aware of their concerns. The unions have responded to us. What we have done, and I would have no issue sharing it with the committee, is to have prepared a short paper on the issues around a referendum and the possible approaches, which we gave to the trade unions at one of our engagements in the early summer. We set out the possibilities of how it might be brought forward and asked for their views. We can share that paper with the committee. This matter still requires further consideration by Government.