Commission link to Government site an 'oversight'

A LINK which directed readers of the Referendum Commission’s website on the EU fiscal treaty to the Government’s website was put up in error, according to the commission.

Earlier this week, anyone seeking information about the treaty from the web address used by the commission, referendum2012.ie, was redirected to the Government's website, stabilitytreaty.ie.

This was in spite of the fact that the commission is charged with providing impartial information about the treaty while the Government, whose website is run by the Department of the Taoiseach, highlights a number of reasons for voting yes.

The link was spotted by an Irish Times reader who questioned whether the Government was trying to pass off its website as the official neutral site on the treaty or whether a genuine mistake was involved.

A commission spokesman confirmed that its chosen web address for information on the forthcoming referendum, which was under construction, had redirected users to the Government’s website for a number of days.

However, he said this happened through “oversight rather than conspiracy” and the link was removed after the commission contacted the department.

He said the department had bought the rights to a number of website addresses relating to the referendum, one of which was the exact address the commission intended to use.

During last year's referendum on judicial pay and Oireachtas inquiries, the commission provided information on a website, referendum2011.ie. It plans to use the referendum2012.ieaddress for the forthcoming referendum.

An Post yesterday began delivering the Government’s guide to the treaty to households around the country. While not explicitly calling for a Yes vote the guide lists the reasons why the Government thinks people should vote for the treaty.

The commission will not be sending out its guide to two million households until May 8th but its website will be operational from next week. The commission is precluded from publishing material until the legislation for the referendum was passed this week.

Earlier yesterday, Sinn Féin said they had written to Attorney General Máire Whelan SC and Taoiseach Enda Kenny asking for advance copies of the Government’s referendum booklet and leaflet.

Mary Lou McDonald TD said the party was concerned that these publications would be “partisan in nature, with the intent of securing a Yes vote from the people”.

She added: “The fact is the Government cannot use public monies to promote a Yes vote in the referendum, directly or indirectly.”

The party had also requested, through its solicitors, “full details of the level of expenditure being incurred by the Department of the Taoiseach in campaigning for a Yes vote”.

Meanwhile, speeches advocating a Yes vote in the EU referendum by Mr Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore have been removed from the Government website stabilitytreaty.ie.

The Taoiseach told the Fiscal Treaty subcommittee of the Oireachtas yesterday morning that it was intended to remove the speeches when the order for the referendum was signed on Monday.

“When the campaign kicks off, any ministerial speeches will be taken off the website,” he said.

Government sources said later that for “logistic” reasons it was decided not to wait until Monday and the speeches had already been removed.

“We’re not one bit apologetic about pushing a Yes vote before the relevant legislation applies. It was always the intention to remove the speeches once the order was signed,” Government sources said.

Socialist Party MEP Paul Murphy commented: “It is a vindication of what we were saying: an admission of guilt.”

The Socialist Party is currently taking legal advice as to whether an injunction can be sought to prevent distribution of the Government’s booklet and leaflet on the treaty.