Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Four referendums have already been held in the lifetime of this Government. The referendum on Seanad abolition will take place this autumn. In addition, the Government has approved in principle proposals to amend the Constitution to permit the establishment of a Civil Court of Appeal and a new separate Family Court structure. Work has commenced on the further development of these proposals. It is also hoped to have the necessary referendum in the autumn of 2013.

In the meantime, the work of the Constitutional Convention will proceed over the coming year, examining a range of issues, including the Dáil electoral system and giving citizens resident outside the State the right to vote in presidential elections at Irish embassies or otherwise. The Taoiseach indicated at the inaugural meeting of the convention that the Government would respond in a timely and considered manner to the recommendations of the convention. The Government has, in fact, made a formal commitment to giving a public response, through the Houses of the Oireachtas, to each recommendation from the convention within four months of receiving it. If the Government accepts a recommendation that the Constitution should be amended, the Government response will include a timeframe for the holding of the necessary referendum. On that basis, we can envisage possibly one, two or more referendums in the autumn. It is clear, therefore, that this Government is committed to change and to real reform. The results to date are clear to see, as is the ambition for further reform over the lifetime of this Government.