The constitutional referendum to protect the rights of children, announced by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last night, is likely to be held in March, before the general election, according to Government sources. Stephen Collins, Political Correspondent, reports.
The Opposition parties gave a qualified welcome to the proposal but are awaiting more information.
The Taoiseach made the surprise announcement about the referendum plan in an address to party candidates at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin on the eve of the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis, which takes place today.
Minister of State for Children Brian Lenihan will begin a process of consultation with Opposition parties and agencies involved in childcare in the coming week in an attempt to get agreement on the wording of a constitutional amendment.
Mr Lenihan said last night that Ireland had signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and he had committed himself at a UN meeting in Geneva in September to look at the need for constitutional protection.
According to Government sources, the referendum will not be held on the same day as the forthcoming general election because the issues involved in recognising the rights of the child are complex and are likely to involve the amendment of more than one article of the Constitution.
The constitutional change will be designed to give greater protection to children in the area of abuse, adoption and custody. It will also tilt the balance of rights in favour of the child on issues such as the recent court action involving the refusal of parents to allow their child to have a blood transfusion for religious reasons.
The Taoiseach said last night that it had become increasingly clear that the inadequate recognition in our constitutional law of the rights of children as individuals had to be addressed, and an all-party Oireachtas committee had reported on the issue last February.
"I believe that the fundamental law of our land, the Constitution, should fully reflect our commitment to valuing and protecting childhood. I believe we should make provision in our Constitution for children to be protected from maltreatment, neglect or abuse," Mr Ahern said.
"I would also like to see the Constitution have a specific provision which requires that, in relevant circumstances, the welfare of the child should be the paramount consideration. And we need to explicitly set out rights of the child in our Constitution. My priority is to find a wording for our Constitution that will reflect the desire of the Irish people to establish robust safeguards for the rights and liberties of all the children of our nation."
A Fine Gael spokesman said last night that the party welcomed any measure which would improve the protection of children. He added that the party would also welcome any more detail the Taoiseach had to offer on the proposal.
Labour's spokeswoman on children, Senator Kathleen O'Meara, said that the Taoiseach's announcement was welcome in so far as it demonstrated that the issue of constitutional protection for the rights of the child had at long last reached the Government's agenda.
She said her party's position was spelled out as long ago as 1999, in a constitutional amendment committing the State to guarantee, defend and vindicate the rights of the child as set out by international legal standards.
The Green Party's justice spokesman, Ciarán Cuffe, said he was glad that the Government had finally decided to take the necessary steps towards ensuring that the rights and protection of Irish children were placed at the heart of our Constitution.