Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to repeat what has been said in respect of amendments Nos. 1 and 2. The public cannot be under any illusion as to what this is about. We had the Citizens' Assembly and an all-party Oireachtas committee with very detailed discussions and debate. We followed that with very extensive debates in both Houses, followed by a referendum. People know what this is about and it should be reflected both in the Title of the Bill and in what is intended in the legislation. I am keen to hear what the Minister has to say regarding what the Attorney General has advised. I can think of frequent situations where something is referenced in the Constitution in a very opaque way. For example, political parties are not mentioned in the Constitution yet the phrase "forming associations" is taken to mean political parties. Indeed, the whole scheme of funding of political parties would be inconsistent with the Constitution if it was not read that way. It is just another example.

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