Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

What is the intended date for the European referendum? The Taoiseach indicated that a date for sometime in the second week of June would be agreed. Is the Taoiseach aware that the leaving certificate examinations will take place at that time? A large number of teenagers who are eligible to vote in the second week of June will be very focused on their examinations. Has the Taoiseach given consideration to the difficulties in ensuring greater participation in the vote caused by it coinciding with the leaving certificate examinations? Perhaps he Taoiseach might comment.

With regard to the referendum, previous referendums and further referendums anticipated, including the referendum on children's rights, does the Taoiseach agree that the judgment of the Supreme Court in the McKenna case was an unwarranted intrusion into the political process, as it has created the illogical position where taxpayers must during referendum debates fund the propagation of spurious arguments that often cause confusion rather than inform? Has the Government given consideration to reviewing the outcome of the case in the context of possible constitutional amendments? Does it consider it desirable and in the public interest, looking back at previous referendums, that arguments were included against particular propositions and probably, on occasion, in favour of them which were clearly unwarranted, unreasonable and based on no fact but included as a balancing framework? Is it reasonable to expect the general public which is not intimately involved in the complexities of some aspects of referendums held to be able to distinguish between the spurious arguments and those based on fact on both sides of referendum debates? Will the Taoiseach indicate what consideration the Government has given to this issue?

A referendum held many years ago was designed to extend the electorate which votes for the six university Senators from Trinity College Dublin and the National University of Ireland to include graduates from a variety of other colleges. Is it ever intended to produce legislation to provide for a much broader electorate for these six seats in the Seanad or is the referendum result which favoured change to continue to be ignored?

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