sunday tribune logo
 
go button spacer This Issue spacer spacer Archive spacer

In This Issue title image
spacer
News   spacer
spacer
spacer
Sport   spacer
spacer
spacer
Business   spacer
spacer
spacer
Property   spacer
spacer
spacer
Tribune Review   spacer
spacer
spacer
Tribune Magazine   spacer
spacer

 

spacer
Tribune Archive
spacer

Vot e on children's rights set for March
Kevin Rafter



A REFERENDUM on children's rights will be held in early March, government sources have confirmed.

Consultations with the main opposition parties took place last week, with children's minister Brian Lenihan seeking views on a possible wording to enshrine the rights of children in the constitution.

"We had an exploratory meeting. It was a very general discussion about what could be put into the constitution, " Labour's justice spokesman Brendan Howlin confirmed this weekend.

The referendum on children's rights would be separate from a constitutional change on child protection arising from the statutory rape crisis, which was recently recommended by an Oireachtas committee. Government sources said there was still hope the child protection issue would be dealt with on the same day as the referendum on children's rights.

The child protection referendum and a reduction in the age of consent from 17 to 16 were two of the recommendations of the all-party Oireachtas child protection committee. With worsening conflict over the age of consent, the government is likely to longfinger legislative change on that matter. However, government sources speculated that the constitutional change arising from the statutory rape crisis could still be advanced.

With 30 days' notice required for a referendum, the government is expected to pass the necessary legislation after the Christmas recess.

This would allow for voting mostly likely on 8 March next.




Back To Top >>


spacer

 

         
spacer
contact icon Contact
spacer spacer
home icon Home
spacer spacer
search icon Search


advertisment




 

   
  Contact Us spacer Terms & Conditions spacer Copyright Notice spacer 2007 Archive spacer 2006 Archive