Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together.

The Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the Constitution Bill 2007 was published in February 2007. The June 2007 programme for Government included a commitment to establish an all-party committee to examine the proposed constitutional amendment with a view to further deepening consensus on this matter.

In October, the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Brendan Smith, brought a memorandum to Government proposing the establishment of a joint committee to deal with the constitutional amendment on children. Following consultations with Opposition parties on the terms of reference, the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children was established by resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas in November last. The first meeting of this committee took place on 6 December, when Deputy O'Rourke was elected chairman of the committee.

The text of the EU reform treaty was agreed at the informal European Council in October in accordance with the mandate given to the Intergovernmental Conference on the Reform Treaty at the June European Council. We can now look forward to the signature of the treaty in Lisbon on 13 December. As I have said previously, while no decision has yet been taken, I expect that we will hold a referendum sometime next year, probably in the summer.

See this speech in context