REFERENDUM:TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny accused opponents of the proposed constitutional amendment on Oireachtas inquiries of "hysteria" and said he found it surprising that some politicians were opposed to the proposal.
Mr Kenny said the purpose of the amendment was to allow members of Dáil and Seanad Éireann to conduct inquiries into matters of public interest without the expense of having to hold costly and long-running tribunals.
Other parliaments have such powers and it would be extraordinary if people didn’t support a proposal to authorise the people that they elect to Dáil Éireann to carry out such inquiries on their behalf.
“What’s going on here is a deliberate attempt to say to people the Oireachtas is going to take unto itself powers that are extreme, that would ruin people’s lives. There is no such intent because they have to be set down by law and the law has to be in the common good.
“We’re asking the people to change the Constitution to allow elected members of Dáil Éireann carry out inquiries where that’s appropriate in the public interest and at a hell of a lot less cost than costly tribunals and to get the answers and the truth in a fraction of the time.”
A group of 12 Independent TDs and Senators along with the five TDs in the United Left Alliance have all called for a No vote in the referendum, arguing that it would give too much power to the government of the day to hold investigations. But Mr Kenny said he found such opposition surprising given that Independent members frequently express frustration at their inability to effect change and influence decision making.
“I think for Independent members to stand up and say that Dáil Éireann is strangling them, that they have no function, that they have no authority and that they have no power – well, I think they need to examine where they are at here [with their opposition to the amendment]. “They were elected by the people in the public interest to hold the Government to account from an independent perspective.
“We offer them the opportunity in asking the people to change the constitution to allow them to participate in that fundamental democratic process.
“There is no need for the hysteria that I hear in some quarters about this.
“What’s involved here is asking the people for authority to allow TDs under law to hold inquiries into matter of public importance for the common good.”