Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I second the motion. I welcome the Minister to the House. Citizenship is fundamental and vital and is something in which we take great pride. It should be guarded jealously. I am sure the Minister would agree that in a constitutional democracy, there should be the widest possible consultation on citizenship, which may be the Minister's intention. I cannot understand the reason for such a tight timeframe, if we hold the referendum on 11 June. We should have the widest possible consultation and we should do nothing to damage our democracy, which I fear may happen because of this rush.

I look forward to hearing the arguments the Minister will put to us. As Senator Brian Hayes said, the fundamental question is whether the referendum will be held on 11 June. It is preferable to have all-party agreement on an all encompassing package of measures. That is what is required. This is a complex matter. Various articles of the Constitution are involved as well as the citizenship Act 1956, which I presume will be amended also.

We have been reading on the subject. An interesting case being made in Northern Ireland is that a child born in Northern Ireland to a Chinese mother is entitled to UK residence under EU law and the mother is dependent on the child for immigration status. Has there been a judgment on that as of yet?