Referendum: SDLP position The SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, has said he would vote No in the citizenship referendum if he had a vote in the Republic, despite receiving a Government response yesterday to concerns his party raised more than a month ago.
Mr Durkan, who has consistently expressed concern about the plan to restrict the right to citizenship of all people born on the island of Ireland, said yesterday he hoped his party would be consulted by the Government about the legislation to be enacted if the referendum is passed.
He wanted to ensure that the Oireachtas would not legislate to introduce any difference in the entitlement to citizenship of those born in Northern Ireland and those born in the Republic.
The SDLP has had several meetings with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice on the issue, warning that limiting the citizenship rights conferred in the Belfast Agreement undermined the idea that the agreement was sacrosanct.
DUP figures have already claimed that the Government's move to change the citizenship regime introduced on foot of the Belfast Agreement shows that the agreement could be changed or renegotiated.
Yesterday Mr Durkan received a detailed response from the Government to the party's concerns. This reply did not contain all the information the party had sought, Mr Durkan said last night. He had asked for details of the Attorney General's opinion on the matter, and this had not been provided, he said.
However, he welcomed the Government's commitment in the letter to due consultation on the administrative arrangements to be put in place regarding citizenship if the referendum was approved.
"If it is passed, work will need to be done to minimise the adverse consequences," he said. He hoped that his party would, therefore, be consulted on the legislation as well.
Mr Durkan repeated his complaint that the Government had taken a long time to reply to the party's concerns, and had been told at one point that he would only receive a reply if the party committed itself to calling for a Yes vote.