Denis O'Donovan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)

I am speaking as a member of the committee. While it would make sense to give the All-Party Committee on the Constitution the task of considering all proposals for constitutional change, that may not always be practicable. Cases will always arise where the Government judges that it must seek a constitutional change as the first step in a series designed to solve an urgent problem. In the case before us, namely, the issue of the Irish citizenship of children of non-national parents, the Government believes it must first change the Constitution in order to allow legislation to be enacted to bring in the necessary practical measures to deal effectively with the issue. I have no problem with that.

It should be remembered that when the Government established the Constitution Review Group in 1995, chaired by the eminent Dr. T.K. Whitaker, the committee was effectively precluded by its terms of reference from considering the then Articles 2 and 3 because the articles were central to the resolution of political relationships in Ireland and between Ireland and Great Britain and were the subject of special consideration by the Government.

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