Three referendums to take place on election day

REFERENDUMS on whistleblowers, the Abbeylara judgment and on judicial pay will take place in October on the same day as the presidential election, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has confirmed.

Mr Kenny also told the Dáil that while three referendums would take place as a “priority”, the long-awaited referendum on children’s rights would not be held this year.

Committing the Government to holding a referendum on children’s rights, he said it would not be possible to finalise it in time for the presidential election.

On Tuesday, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter confirmed that a referendum would be held on reducing the pay of serving judges, currently protected under the Constitution, in line with other public servants.

In the Dáil yesterday Mr Kenny confirmed the two other referendums. One aims to give Oireachtas committees the power to make findings of fact following the Abbeylara judgment and a second aims to protect whistleblowers.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin called for a referendum on banning corporate donations to also be held in October. He asked how the Taoiseach planned to get the legislation necessary for the referendums to go ahead by October.

He also asked why the referendum to ban corporate donations, which “he promised three months ago”, would not now go ahead.

Mr Martin said Fianna Fáil had produced the only published amendment on corporate donations. He called on the Taoiseach to “agree now to send that amendment to the relevant committee and hold a referendum on the banning of corporate political donations along with the presidential election and the other referendums”.

Mr Kenny said the Minister for Environment was preparing legislation to deal with corporate donations and it would be before the Dáil “in the not too distant future”. However he had no plan for a referendum on the issue.

The Taoiseach said it was proposed to have three referendums – on Abbeylara, whistleblowers and judicial payments – on the day of the presidential election. “The work in respect of the preparation of the legislation for those is under way. They are being treated as a priority.”

Sinn Féin spokesman on children Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin questioned the Taoiseach about why the referendum to enshrine children’s rights in the Constitution would not go ahead.

Mr Kenny said they could not finalise all the elements of the children’s rights referendum for October.