Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

As I said when I attended a recent committee meeting, the Government's position is as it was prior to the establishment of the committee. I have attended committee meetings for only a number of weeks and the more I attend, the more I realise how complex are the issues, not only those of absolute and strict liability but also adoption and softer issues that are in the proposal to amend the Constitution.

With regard to the 2006 Act, the Government had the option of doing nothing and leaving an incredibly difficult situation or introducing a law, which it was always accepted would not be a long-term solution. That is why the Government moved to establish the most recent committee. Members on all sides of the House accept this is not an easy issue. As I stated to the committee, the Government could come in with proposals that would not necessarily be acceptable to Opposition Members. We want to achieve as much consensus as possible on this issue. While some people are of the opinion that a referendum is unnecessary, others are of a different opinion. This situation pertains in a number of parties. For example, members of the Deputy's party hold different opinions.

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