FIANNA FÁIL'S failure to honour promises to have a children's right referendum will be criticised today by Fine Gael.
Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter will produce the party's own proposals on the issue, which will stand by the party's opposition to reducing the sexual age of consent from 17 to 16
Relations between the two main parties have been left strained by the operation of the Oireachtas Committee on Children's Rights, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD Mary O'Rourke.
Last night Laois-Offaly TD Olwyn Enright said the committee had not dealt sufficiently with the need to improve children's constitutional rights.
She said it was extremely disappointing that Fianna Fáil was now the only party not to have a full submission to offer to the committee.
Minister of State Barry Andrews last week said that Fianna Fáil's final contribution to the committee's work would be ready within the next month or so.
