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A Referendum on child sexual protection -- promised in the wake of the Mr C paedophile case -- may not take place, the Irish Independent has learned.
Mary O'Rourke, chairwoman of the joint Oireachtas committee on child protection, says members have received legal advice that the tightening-up can be done by legislation alone.
The all-party committee was originally formed to draft a wording for the referendum, which the Government and Opposition had previously accepted was necessary.
The idea that no fresh and binding definition of unlawful carnal knowledge might be put to the people is certain to outrage interest groups.
Fergus Finlay, head of children's charity Barnardos, said last night: "We think there needs to be a referendum on children's rights from a number of perspectives, not just this one. We are certainly picking up vibes that there is a huge amount of anxiety about trying to tackle any subject by way of referendum in the aftermath of Lisbon."
Now all eyes will be on the position paper that Fianna Fail is due to submit to the committee next month. Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Fein have all submitted their positions, but the main party of Government has held back.
"There will be a meeting in September at which it will be put, and then it is a matter of seeing what issues we can agree on," Mrs O'Rourke said.
Legal
"We have received lots of legal advice. It is not at all clear that there would be a referendum," she said.
But Mrs O'Rourke -- who recently warned that it would be "foolish, foolish" to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty next year -- said it was presumptive to anticipate what advice the committee might take or what decision members might arrive at.
"The Fianna Fail paper will be coming forward in September. We will be seeing what can be done. But we have had the legal opinion, long before Lisbon, that a referendum may not be the best way."
The Mr C case blew a huge loophole in child-protection laws. He was successful in his appeal against the constitutionality of the law making a person automatically guilty of "statutory rape" if they had sex with a girl under the age of 15.
By Senan Molony Deputy Political Editor, Irish Independent
More
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/child-protection-referendum-may-not-be-needed-1451584.html
ŠIndependent.ie
