Government may group several referendums

The Taoiseach has indicated that the Government is considering having a number of referendums on the same day.

Mr Ahern said there had been an enormous number of referendums, and each time the Government was told to put just one issue before the people to avoid confusion.

"I would like to take a block of the work already undertaken in various reports and deal with the issues as a whole. I have inquired of both legal people and officials over the past year or so on how that could best be done, how we could take several of these amendments together."

Mr Ahern said there were seven areas covered by seven reports. The reports, he added, dealt with general constitutional issues, the Seanad and the presidency.

The Government had decided, he added, not to proceed with the referendum in the courts area and proposals had been formulated to deal with that in another way. He said that the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on the Constitution had been asked by the Government to give priority to the articles dealing with property and children.

The Labour Party leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, asked if the Taoiseach was aiming towards a new Constitution being put to the people, or if it was a case that there would be just minor amendments.

"It is a long time since 1937, and maybe the Taoiseach is preparing to emulate the original author by putting to the people a document that would be more in keeping with modern times. Is that the Taoiseach's objective?"

Mr Ahern said the Government had focused on two sections of the Constitution: the articles dealing with the institutions of the State and those referring to fundamental rights.

He added that five issues had been put to the people in the previous government's first year in office.