Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Will the Taoiseach consult with Opposition party leaders in advance of the December summit? Will he say whether there is any provision in the Estimates and the budget for the holding of a referendum in 2009? The question relates not just to whether there will be another referendum on Europe, but to referendums in general. What is the position in relation to the holding of a referendum on children's rights and what are the Government's intentions in that regard?

Reference is made in the Agreed Programme for Government to the possibility of a referendum on the introduction of means to ensure that criminal trials may no longer be collapsed on the grounds of legal technicalities. Is it intended to hold a referendum on that matter?

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