Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I have a concern that there may be a recurrence of what happened in respect of the referendums held last year, namely, that the legislation will be rushed and that the complex issues involved will become lost in that rush. Is the Tánaiste in a position to indicate the date in the autumn on which the referendum will be held or the likely timescale relating to the legislation. I am concerned that the referendum will be hijacked by people campaigning on issues which have nothing to do with it and that they will use the rush to which I refer to create confusion in respect of the genuine issue with which we are - as outlined in the report - seeking to deal. I hope the report we are now discussing will receive as much attention as that which everyone in the House has been reading this morning. I am concerned that a rushed referendum may lead to confusion and may lead to a genuine proposal becoming lost in the melee of an uneven debate.

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