Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

This is about promised legislation. In regard to the Government's programme, it is very clear that there will be two referenda held - one in respect of child protection, the other in respect of the abolition of the Seanad - outside the remit of the constitutional convention. In setting up the constitutional convention, the Government is anxious that this will work properly and that the structure will work properly. For that reason, the drafting of primary legislation to give effect to being able to call citizens from the register of electors to involve themselves in the citizens' constitutional convention is what we have to consider. To see that it works properly, two issues should be chosen in the first instance. The question of a reflection on the length of the presidential period of service and the question on reducing the voting age will allow us to see whether the structure works effectively. If it does, fine. If it does not, we will make changes before it moves on to the other elements that are mentioned in the programme for Government as being for consideration by the constitutional convention.

I put together a memo for Government. The Government discussed it and then asked the representatives of the different parties to attend a meeting. They were very good and made a number of suggestions. I invited them to send in written submissions and said that we would meet again before I finalised this and brought it back to Government and that we would go ahead with the constitutional convention.

When we set out this timeline, the question of a referendum on the fiscal stability pact was never mentioned because the deliberations had not taken place at European level. The Attorney General has informed the Government formally and we are getting on with the process of putting that in train. This is of primary importance in the sense of our country's future and our economic well being.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is preparing the legislation in respect of children's issues and I do not want to set a date for either a referendum on child protection or for the abolition of Seanad until I know that everything is right and proper to have that determined.

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