The Government has not pushed for Dáil debating time next week for its proposed children's rights referendum, as the Opposition continues to express doubts about its merits.
The delay leaves time for discussions with Fine Gael and Labour next week, although both sides stuck rigidly to their positions on the issue yesterday during Dáil exchanges and later.
Government Chief Whip Tom Kitt made no effort to put the 28th Amendment to the Constitution Bill on the Dáil's Order Paper during his usual weekly meeting last night with Opposition whips.
Last night Fine Gael TD Jim O'Keeffe said he would not delay producing his party's legally-vetted response, but he insisted that this could not be done immediately despite the Government's push for a response.
"The Government has had three months on this. We certainly can't do it in a matter of hours. The process of getting legal advice is under way. How long it takes is another matter," he said. The Government and the main Opposition parties now hold diametrically opposite positions: the Government wants the full wording to go before the people as soon as possible, preferably before the general election.
Fine Gael and Labour, on the other hand, want a constitutional amendment outlawing adults from pleading a defence if they have sex with children, and to allow for the passage of "soft" information about suspected paedophiles.
The other issues contained in the Government's referendum, dealing with the rights of the child under the Constitution, adoption rights and rules, etc, should be left until later in the year, both parties insist.
The Government is already in talks with Northern Ireland authorities about setting up an agency, probably headed by a retired High Court judge, that would act as a clearing house for intelligence about possible paedophiles.
In the investigation into child abuse in the Diocese of Ferns, it was found that information about abusive priests was not shared properly between social workers, health officials and gardaí.
An all-island body would excuse agencies from having to collect, and act upon information about past court appearances, or suspicious actions by those seeking work with them.
In the Dáil, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern opposed the Opposition's demands holding two referendums in a year on children's rights because, he said, "the rights and protections are intertwined".
"We would prefer if they were taken together, whenever that is. If there was an argument about the two questions and if two referendums were held in the one year, it might be questionable whether young people could be expected to become actively engaged. I invite the Deputy to make his views known in a referendum debate in order that there will be interest in the issue and a good turnout. Holding two referendums within a period of seven or eight months does not sound like a great idea but I will listen to the arguments," he said.
