The arguments for and against the Belfast Agreement, including changes to Articles 2, 3 and 29 of the Constitution, will not be sent to homes in time for polling day on May 22nd.
Confirmation that time constraints would prevent the sending of this information to households came yesterday from the chairman of the Referendum Commission, Mr Justice Thomas Finlay.
The pro and anti sides will now be provided through media adverts.
The commission will supply the public with information on the proposals in the forthcoming referendums and will present both sides of the argument. However, speaking at the start of its campaign for the referendum on the agreement, Mr Justice Finlay said there would be "a significant difference" between some of the methods of publication and distribution on this occasion, compared to those used in the Amsterdam Treaty campaign.
He said this arose from the timescale applicable to each campaign. The order directing the beginning of work for the Amsterdam Referendum was made on March 2nd, which allowed time to distribute a short explanation of the proposals to every home, as well as the publishing of adverts and the preparation of the for and against arguments.
He said the commission had already prepared the summary of the proposals on the Northern referendum. This summary would be delivered to every home "in good time" before polling day.
However, it had not been possible to distribute the arguments for and against to every home. Media adverts would, therefore, be used.