Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Detailed information is required and a detailed analysis must be carried out. The Deputy is calling for this at a principled level, but the Government must examine it in detail and look at the implications. One recommendation of the Constitutional Convention, for example, was that only those who had lived in Ireland should qualify for the franchise. Obviously that must be examined because it has implications in terms of who precisely qualifies. Detailed work needs to be done on this and it is being done by the Minister of State. I have already told the Deputy that the Minister of State is examining it and taking it seriously. He is developing an options paper which will deal with the practical implementation of this.

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