Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

With regard to the children's referendum and the children's Bill, which needs to be published in order to proceed with the referendum, the Taoiseach outlined earlier his reason for withdrawing from the commitment that it would happen in 2012 as being the complexity of the issue and the importance of getting it right. This issue is no more complex now than it was three weeks ago, when the Minister went on a big PR blitz announcing the fact that the referendum would happen in 2012. Three weeks later - and not for the first time - the Taoiseach is now rowing back on that and is once again using the rationale that it is a complex matter. Since the Taoiseach is no longer sticking to the commitment that this will happen in 2012, will he at least ensure that the legislation and the Bill will be published? There is no reason for that work not to proceed. We are now three months into the year. Will the Taoiseach give us a timeline for when the Bill will be published? That work should proceed and hopefully, once it is published, we can then push on with the referendum. I would hope that would happen in 2012 but having listened to the Taoiseach, I am not too confident of that.

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