David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief. I welcomed the Taoiseach's commitment when he was in the US to hold a referendum in respect of voting rights in presidential elections for citizens in the North and the Irish diaspora. That is long overdue. I note the Taoiseach was not in a position to respond yesterday when he was asked for a timeframe. Given that this issue was considered by the Constitutional Convention and that the Taoiseach himself was the one who made the announcement it is important that he would inform this House as to exactly how the issue will be progressed. The Taoiseach must have some notion as to how the measure will be implemented. Will he commit and explain to us even in broad terms what type of timeframe he envisages and what type of structure and process will be put in place to make that happen?

See this speech in context