Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 5 Apr 2000

Vol. 517 No. 4

Written Answers. - Constitutional Reform.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

74 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 6 of 8 February 2000, his views, in principle, of holding, nationally, a non-binding multi-option Borda preferendum vote prior to any binding two-option referendum if the Government decides to have another referendum on abortion. [5025/00]

Following its publication in September 1999, the Green Paper on Abortion was referred to the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution for consideration. The question of whether there should be a further referendum and, if so, its nature, are matters which the committee is considering in the course of its work.

I understand that the De Borda Institute has made a number of submissions to the All-Party Oireachtas Committee. The institute promotes inclusive voting procedures and believes that the democratic process should facilitate the identification, from a broad range of options, of that policy proposal which has the highest average preference score of every vote. It sees the Borda preferendum as the relevant voting procedure to achieve that. The institute has, among its sub missions, made one that proposes a non-binding multi-option Borda preferendum vote prior to any binding two-option referendum, in the event of a referendum on abortion. The All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution will examine this in its consideration of the abortion issue.
The Government will await the outcome of the committee's deliberations before further considering the issues discussed in the Green Paper.
Barr
Roinn