Referendum Commission rejects FG criticism

The Referendum Commission has rejected criticism by Fine Gael TD, Mr Alan Dukes, that it is "fundamentally misrepresenting" the purpose of the Nice Treaty in its literature.

Mr Dukes had complained that in a recent leaflet, in its section on the Nice Treaty, there is no mention of enlargement.

Mr Dukes confirmed to ireland.comthis afternoon that he had received correspondence from the commission rejecting his criticism. He said the commission had alluded to the fact that the text of constitutional amendment relating to the treaty made no reference to enlargement.

However he said this was inadequate as the amendment text only represented how the treaty would be incorporated constitutionally.

Mr Dukes said in its booklet published this week entitled "Your voice, Your choice", the Referendum Commission says the purpose of the treaty was to make some changes in the institutions which govern the EU.

The Fine Gael TD cited this as another example of how the commission was misrepresenting the stated objective of the treaty.