When the electorate goes to the polls on June 11th, not only will it be electing 1,600 local authority members and 15 MEPs, it will also give its collective response to a referendum to amend the Constitution.
The 20th amendment aims to give statutory recognition to local authorities, in the centenary year of local government, according to the Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Danny Wallace.
Introducing the 20th Amendment of the Constitution (No 2) Bill, he said it would "safeguard the future of local government". Such recognition "will give Irish local government the boost it deserves and will bring our Constitution in line with our continental neighbours".
In practical terms "local elections will be protected by the Constitution". This means that from now on local elections will have to be held within five years of the previous ones. "Over the years local elections have been deferred at different times by different governments, sometimes for lengthy periods. Such deferral has served to devalue our system of local governments," Mr Wallace said.
"It will therefore no longer be possible by legislation to postpone local elections for lengthy periods. This means that the next elections, after this year's, will be held in 2004, where in the past we have had intervals of up to nine years."
However, Labour sharply criticised the speed with which the referendum was introduced. Mr Eamon Gilmore, the party's environment and local government spokesman, said that the Government intended to conclude the second stage debate in less than two hours, take committee stage today, and then "race" the entire Bill through the Seanad, again today, and rush it to the President before midnight, so that the referendum could be held on June 11th.
"The Government is at fault in not having presented this proposal on time. The present Minister is now in office for two years. Despite the postponement of the local elections, he has still not produced any legislation to reform local government. He has now, at five minutes to midnight, produced a Bill to amend the Constitution."