Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach has set out a series of seven referendums to be held over the next two years.

I will not list them all. It is certainly the most comprehensive series of referendums proposed in a set timeline. How will we deal with them? The Taoiseach is talking about a stand-alone referendum on the eighth amendment but the others will be grouped. We need to carry out a lot of advance preparation because each referendum will require a referendum commission and a degree of debate. In the past, when we have often tied referendums to, say, a presidential election, as we did once upon a time, the referendum was lost. I am asking for some mechanism to deal with these issues in collaboration and discussion with the Opposition so that there will be proper debate and an opportunity for all the matters to be teased out well before we put them to the people.

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