Vol. 435 No. 4
13 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the plans, if any, he has for the holding of referenda or preferenda on any other topics apart from divorce; and his views on the Swiss facility for holding referenda when sufficient signatures are collected to require a matter to be decided by the people.
I have no current plans for the holding of referenda on any topic other than divorce.
The concept of a preferendum (by which I take it the Deputy means a multiple choice on PR referendum) is not contemplated by Irish electoral law.
I am somewhat surprised by the Deputy's reference to the Swiss facility for the holding of popular initiatives since the concept is not exclusively Swiss and indeed was a feature of Articles 47 and 48 of the Constitution of Saorstat Éireann, as enacted. I have no proposals to resuscitate such an initiative.
