Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will not get into an argument today about the Bill before the House, save to note that while I respect the Tánaiste's view, I have a similar competing view that a 14-year sentence is not appropriate in our Statute Book. I will put that matter aside. The Tánaiste's party has a particular responsibility in this issue given that it was her party that introduced the original referendum in 1983 against the advice of the Attorney General at the time, who saw, articulated and raised concerns about the legal difficulties that it would present. I do not disagree with anything the Tánaiste said after that.

I return, however, to the core question. I believe it is important for Deputy Fitzgerald, as Tánaiste, Minister for Justice and Equality and as a women who has played an important role in the whole issue of women's affairs, to outline what her expected timeline is for the referendum. It is important to get a calm and good quality debate in public, as well as within the Citizens' Assembly and in the Oireachtas committee. There must be some sort of understanding among the public what the timeline is. Can the Tánaiste address that key single question I asked? What is her expectation as to when a referendum might be held? Given that the Tánaiste said that the Constitution is not the right place to address complex issues like this, when does she intend to rectify that matter?

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