Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Adams is correct that there have been six referenda. These referenda concerned investigative powers for Oireachtas committees, judges' remuneration, the Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, the children's referendum, abolition of the Seanad and the Court of Civil Appeal, some of which were held some time ago. Deputy Broughan has made the important point that if we are going to hold a series of referenda, a commission, be it a permanent or semi-permanent commission, should be set up in adequate time to deal with them. Given that it is proposed to hold referenda soon, it might be as well to put in place a commission in adequate time to organise the work involved.

Following the court cases, the Government does not campaign as the Government on referendums, although parties do.

I note the outcome of the decision by RTE. I am not going to interfere in the balance that RTE must maintain in respect of legitimate discussion and conversation about issues of the day. My understanding is that it was cognisant of the cost of litigation and it made its decision in that regard.

It is not a case of not wishing to hold a referendum. There is the matter of electoral fatigue among people. We will have local and European elections in May and if we followed that with three or four referendums in the autumn and then another three or four in the spring, people would have had enough. The Government must make decisions about these matters. We have decided that there will be no referendum in respect of the Constitution in 2014 and that this would be the year for driving on about the creation of jobs, opening up opportunities for dealing with the banks and the construction sector, create opportunities to make an impact from the local enterprise offices and the local authorities and to derive a definition and the effective translation from FÁS to SOLAS to provide courses and opportunities for young people in a different way.

The referendums that have been discussed in the House relate to matters that the Constitutional Convention recommended. People are well aware from their parties' attendance that there have been double the number of ordinary people at the hearings and, together with the political process, they have made their views known. It is not a case of drifting or having consultations. The Government must make decisions and these cannot be subject to what Deputy Martin described as box-ticking exercises.

I thank Deputy Martin for his comment about being constructive in this matter under discussion. It will be a sensitive discussion and we will be sensitive - I give Deputy Martin that guarantee, if I did not fulfil it previously. We will have consultations on whatever information we have for the parties.

We had in-depth discussions about the Lisbon treaties and we had to have two attempts at that. It was necessary that there be a structure in the context of the broad agenda, ranging from abortion to neutrality and all the points in between, such that people were able to have the best evidence on which to make a decision. On the second occasion, regarding the Lisbon treaties, they were better informed than on the first in order to make their decision. We do not do this on the basis of party political interests. If we are going to have a referendum or a series of referendums we must have them some time. People said to me on the last occasion that we should space these things out.

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