WORK HAD begun on the constitutional referendum to abolish the Seanad, Taoiseach Enda Kenny revealed.

He said he had written to Attorney General Máire Whelan to start the process on the question to be posed to the people in the referendum.

“All references to the Seanad in the Constitution will have to be taken into account and I have advised the Attorney General formally of this,” he added.

Mr Kenny said the Government had not committed itself to holding any referendum in tandem with the presidential election. However, quite a number of comments had been made by organisations such as children’s advocacy groups, suggesting it might be possible to deal with the children’s rights issue in that way.

Obviously, said Mr Kenny, the Government had mentioned a number of other areas including accountability in respect of the question on the Abbeylara decision and providing protection for people who might inform public representatives as public or private citizens on issues which should be made known.

“These matters are being given consideration also,” he added.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said Fine Gael had given categoric commitments in advance of the election that there would be a referendum within the first 12 months, if not in the autumn, to abolish the Seanad and deal with other matters.

Mr Kenny said that while the Government had not decided formally on holding a referendum this year, it was considering whether this was feasible. Fine Gael had set out a programme to allow for a series of constitutional amendments to be decided on a “Constitution day” to be held within 12 months of the new Government being formed, including on abolishing the Seanad.

He said he hoped to advance proposals on the structure of a constitutional convention allowing citizens to engage in a number of areas in which referendums might be held.