John Bruton
Ceist:8 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the plans, if any, he has to re-establish the all-party committee on the Constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14665/97]
Ceisteanna — Questions. - Committee on the Constitution.
I advised the House on 10 September that I proposed to consult the party leaders about the early re-establishment of the all-party committee on the Constitution. As I said previously, the committee had done much useful work which should be continued. I have now written to party leaders on the matter and as soon as I have their agreement on the composition and terms of reference of the committee I will proceed to re-establish it.
On the related issue of the implementation of the recommendations of the committee, there are already two reports and it is clear that their recommendations and those of future reports will necessitate a programme of constitutional reform over a period of years. Does the Taoiseach accept the need for this programme and will he invest the necessary resources to ensure that the recommendations are put to the people over a period of years?
We had an opportunity during the debate on the constitutional amendment legislation to refer to the work of the committee. While this work is useful, I do not agree with all the recommendations, some of which would create much difficulty. It is a long time since the Constitution was drafted and there have been some amendments to it. As time goes on there will be an increasing number of amendments to it. The work is ongoing and has reached a certain stage of development. In due course an extensive package of issues will have to be put to the people. There are many suggestions in the Whitaker report, work on which has still not been completed by the all-party committee. When this work is completed a package of measures should be put to the people.