Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Reilly for her opening remarks, which were very generous. I echo the sentiments she expressed concerning the important work of the Citizens' Assembly of just under 100 randomly selected citizens who studied this topic weekend in and weekend out and came to the conclusions they did, as well as the work of the all-party committee and all its members who studied the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly and made further recommendations to Government. I agree with the Deputy that for those who agitated for reform going back over the past 20 or 30 years, if not before that, this is their day.

This is now a matter for the Irish people. It is in their hands and it is right that they should be asked this question. When it was last asked, I was under four years old. Nobody aged under 52 years has had a vote on the issue of Article 40.3.3° of the Constitution and it is appropriate that people be allowed to have this vote. I appeal to Members, even those who do not agree with repealing the eighth amendment, to vote for the referendum Bill and at least allow other citizens to make a decision for themselves.

I will say only two things about the campaign and debate we will have in the next few months. It should be respectful of all sides and it should never be personalised. I agree with the Deputy that even when people are not respectful towards us or personalise the debate, we should not respond.

To answer the Deputy's question, the Minister for Health will today publish what is called a précis paper. This is a summary of the Attorney General's legal advice and an explanation of the rationale behind his advice. This is somewhat unprecedented, although something similar was done in 1983. As the Deputy is aware, legal advice is privileged for very good reasons. However, we are happy to make an exception on this occasion and publish the précis paper. The Minister for Health will also hold a briefing for Opposition leaders and spokespersons at 4 p.m.

I affirm my commitment to holding the referendum before the end of May to maximise participation. I must add a caveat, however, by stating the obvious fact that I do not command a majority in this House and we no longer use the guillotine except by agreement of the Business Committee. With the co-operation of the House, we can certainly have this done by the end of May. We are already making preliminary moves to establish a referendum commission in order that it is in place on time.

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