Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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I thank Mr. Deering for his presentation. I am a little disappointed the presentation did not reflect the gravity of the research. He is absolutely right that any referendum is an important matter and the language ought to reflect this, but the research suggests a huge number of people found it difficult or very difficult to understand and a considerable number of people apparently voted the wrong way.

The fact we have been doing something for 50 years is probably not really terrifically beneficial when one considers we used to send children up chimneys and export children to the United States. Unspeakable things happened many years ago which we do not do any more, so longevity does not cut it for me. In a modern world we need to state the possibility of legal challenge absolutely exists, and I do not at all diminish its importance, but we have the capability to find language which is appropriate.

My daughter came with me to vote in the referendum and she had to ask me which choice was correct. That was my experience of confusion. I did not report it, but there were only two of us and 50% of us was confused. I hope we can move on and acknowledge the importance of this research and state it needs to be changed. We need to keep in mind what is important not only to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government but to the people and state we can do better than this. I hope the witnesses will tell us this is what will happen and that the Department is seeking a positive way to change it so we do not have to come back after the next referendum and have another conversation in which somebody states we have been doing it this way for 50 years so there is no way we can change it.