Ciarán Cuffe
Question:124 Mr. Cuffe asked the Taoiseach if he has proposals to alter the preamble and Articles 6, 12, 34 and 44 of the Constitution to ensure the separation of Church and State. [28088/03]
Written Answers. - Constitutional Amendments.
As I said in my reply on 8 October 2003, the Government has no proposals at present for the conduct of a referendum to change the Constitution. The position will be held under review in the light of developments, in particular: the outcome of the examination by the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution of property rights issues; the outcome of the study being conducted by a subcommittee of the Committee on Procedures and Privileges on reform of the Seanad; and the outcome of the Intergovernmental Conference on the draft constitutional treaty which commenced in Rome on 4 October.
Although it is difficult at this stage to judge when the Intergovernmental Conference will conclude, it is likely that work will continue into our Presidency next year and will be concluded during our term in office.
The position is unchanged. I do not envisage any change in the status of the Churches and other faith communities under our Constitution.