THE GOVERNMENT is likely to choose Thursday, June 12th, to hold the Lisbon Treaty referendum - a fortnight later than had been first suggested.
Last night, the Opposition expressed disquiet about Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's handling of the situation, and questioned why the earlier timetable had been discarded.
In the Dáil, the Taoiseach told Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny: "We have done all the other things, subject to the date. The Government has more or less signed off on the date within a range." Promising consultations with Mr Kenny and the Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore, Mr Ahern went on: "It really is a question about the day of the week. Subject to getting the views of Deputy Kenny, we are considering the second week in June."
Pressed by Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin to rule out a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if the first were to be lost, Mr Ahern gave a carefully-worded reply, which left open the possibility. " should not feel that I was inconsistent on the second referendum on the Nice treaty because he is aware that in Northern Ireland every time something failed I would try it again, with the urging of Deputy Ó Caoláin's party."
Meanwhile, one of the most vocal anti-treaty groups, Libertas - an organisation headed and funded by millionaire businessman Denis Ganley - will formally launch its campaign today.
Despite Opposition urgings, Mr Ahern did not take the opportunity to explain why a mid-June date was now deemed favourable, though he denied that it would be affected by Leaving Certificate examinations.
Third-levels, he said, "start in the first week of May and continue into the early part of June", while the Leaving starts on June 4th "but the main bulk of the examinations are finished on June 12th".
"It seems it is a period where the university examinations are ending and the main bulk of the second-level examinations that are held in the first eight days of the Leaving Certificate will be finished," he told Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter.
The Fine Gael leader is becoming increasingly exasperated about the issue: "I do not understand why there is a difficulty in setting a date for the referendum. Is there a blockage or reason the Taoiseach cannot set a date on which the referendum will be held? From a party political point of view, the three dozen meetings I have laid out require the booking of halls or rooms, giving of dates to speakers and notification to allow party members and members of the public to attend. When will the referendum be held? Will it be held in the last week of May or the first week of June?" he demanded to know.
Meanwhile, the issue of European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson's handling of the World Trade Organisation talks - and their potentially seriously negative impact on Ireland - are likely to be given a higher profile over coming days, on the margin of the EU's Brussels summit.
Questioned by Mr Kenny, Mr Ahern said the Government had made clear its opposition to Mr Mandelson's willingness to concede major cuts in EU food tariffs.
In a separate development, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern told an Oireachtas committee yesterday that the projected cost of the Referendum Commission established to provide the public with information on the Lisbon Treaty was €5 million, an increase of more than 20 per cent on the amount provided for the Nice II referendum.
The Minister told the committee on foreign affairs that the Government has allocated €5.8 million to meet the costs of informing the public about the Lisbon Treaty in the run-up to the referendum. This sum includes the projected cost of the Referendum Commission, for which it is envisaged that €5million should be allocated, he said. Mr Ahern said that it was essential that the Referendum Commission had the resources to advance its "important work" and sufficient time to fulfil its mandate.
