merrion street

I wish to announce for the information of the House that the Government has finalised the wording of a constitutional amendment on the protection of children and has decided to hold a referendum on this important issue on Saturday 10 November next.

It is my intention, along with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, to brief the leaders of the opposition parties in advance of the publication of the wording of the proposed amendment tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the Minister will also publish the Adoption (Amendment) Bill and announce the establishment of a Referendum Commission and name its chairperson.

As we did with the European Stability Referendum earlier this year, the Government is committed to ensuring that the Irish people have all the information they need to make an informed decision on the 10

of November. To that end there will be a well resourced Referendum Commission along with a comprehensive Government information campaign.

The protection of children is an issue to which all of us in this House are committed. Numerous reports over many years have called for dedicated constitutional provisions for children.

There has been very good cross-party cooperation on the issue over many years. I believe that the referendum proposals which will be announced tomorrow, along with the other reforms that are already underway to improve our child welfare and protection services, will be an historic step forward and I look forward to working with the members of the House and with civil society organisations over the coming months to ensure a positive outcome.