Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 576: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he proposes to hold the referendum on the Lisbon Reform Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1606/08]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he proposes to publish the new Amendment of the Constitution Bill to facilitate the referendum on the Lisbon Reform Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1607/08]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 590: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he proposes to publish the White Paper on the Lisbon Reform Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1604/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 576, 577 and 590 together.

Following its signature in Lisbon on 13 December 2007, Member States are expected to ratify the Reform Treaty by 1 January 2009.

The Attorney General has advised that the legal effects of the Reform Treaty require amendment of the Constitution to enable ratification by Ireland. The Government has authorised the drafting, on a priority basis, of a Bill amending Article 29 of the Constitution to permit ratification of the Treaty. The drafting work on the Referendum Bill is nearing completion.

The timing of the referendum is under consideration by the Government and the timeframe for the legislative process will follow from the decision regarding the referendum date.

Work on a White Paper on the Reform Treaty is ongoing. It is the aim of the Government to publish the White Paper in good time to inform the debate in the Oireachtas and in the referendum campaign. Additionally, a detailed guide to the Reform Treaty is expected to be published in the first half of February. This will form part of the Government's information campaign, following both the publication of an information pamphlet in December and the setting up of a dedicated Reform Treaty website which, among other things, contains the full text of the Treaty.