Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

There must be some sort of hearing chasm between us here. Will the Minister agree that the failure of the Government to name a date for this referendum is creating a vacuum which is of no great assistance to those who support a yes campaign? The vacuum is allowing much misinformation and inaccurate commentary on the treaty. Can the Minister give any indication as to the date? Will it be pre-summer or in the autumn? Can the Minister give any indication of the composition of the referendum commission? How is it established and for how long will it be established? What are its terms of reference? A previous commission put one argument on the left hand side and other argument on the right hand side and the argument was spurious. Will he agree it is not the role of the referendum commission to indicate two sides to the one story? Its role should be to get the information out to the public.

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