Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

We will get there. The Taoiseach will eventually announce the date.

On the provision of information, while I accept what the Taoiseach has said, that there is much documentation and printed material, there is not enough information in simple language available to the public. That will be necessary for people to make up their minds based on what is contained in the treaty. It is desirable lest the debate on the Lisbon treaty continue to deteriorate into an exercise of party political gamesmanship rather than assessing what is contained in the treaty and what is good for the country. Is it intended that the Referendum Commission will issue material that will be easily understood by the general public and people who are busy in their everyday lives and will not have the time or inclination to read the consolidated text of the treaty or hunt for the texts of the Maastricht or Nice treaties to make comparisons with them?

The questions relate to a number of referenda. Will there not be a referendum on children's rights this year? Is the earliest likely date for it the date of the local and European elections in 2009?

On the Government's promise that it would introduce legislation on civil unions and partnerships following the voting down of the Labour Party Private Members' Bill on the matter, when is it intended to publish such legislation? Does the Government plan to hold a constitutional referendum on the wider issue of gay marriage?

In 2004 the All-Party Committee on the Constitution recommended measures to deal with the cost of building land. When the Taoiseach responded to questions on this issue in the Dáil on 12 April 2005, he said:

We will bring forward another set of proposals. They must go through Government, so I will not announce them here.

Have those proposals on the implementation of the all-party committee's recommendation on building land been brought to the Government?

See this speech in context