Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will not be supporting the amendment. The people who voted last May knew the legislation that this Oireachtas was going to put forward if the amendment was carried. They voted overwhelmingly in favour of the change because they knew the Oireachtas would introduce legislation stating it would be two out of the previous three years. Had the public been informed at that time that there would be a proposal that people could be apart for six months of the previous 12 months, I do not know what the result would have been but it certainly would not have got the victory it got. We need to be consistent with what we said to the public at the time and we should not change as to do so would be a breach of trust with the public. There is nothing to stop a future Oireachtas deciding, if it wishes, to change the time period prescribed in the legislation and this is an advantage of the way the amendment has progressed but, on the first occasion the legislation is enacted, we should all remain loyal to the commitments we gave to the public.

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