The Government should not hold the European Union reform treaty referendum on the same day as a wide-ranging children's referendum, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said.
Expressing concern that the EU treaty could become embroiled in a controversy about parental rights, Mr Kenny said: "If the decision is to have the two referendums together, in my view it would be better to have a minimalist children's rights question."
If the children's referendum "is going to be more complex" - wider than authorising the Oireachtas to draft legislation to provide for a "zone of absolute protection" below which it would be automatically criminal to have sex with a child - then "it might be better to have this on its own", he told The Irish Times.
Mr Kenny also said Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's "inexplicable" explanations about his personal finances have damaged his political credibility, will hurt the effort to have the EU treaty passed and will be exploited by anti-EU campaigners.
An all-party Oireachtas committee, under former minister Mary O'Rourke, is beginning work to agree a consensus for a wording on a children's rights referendum.
So far, Mr Ahern has favoured holding the referendums on the same day, but he has put pressure on the all-party committee, which has talked about completing its work by April, to finish quicker.
A wording that would prevent adults claiming subsequently that they did not know a sexual partner was a minor would produce "no arguments", said Mr Kenny.
Such a wording, he said, would enable the Government to run "a campaign of two 'yeses': yes for [ children's rights] and yes for the treaty that could be attractive to a lot of people". Last year, Fine Gael refused to go along with the majority finding of an Oireachtas committee that the age of consent should be lowered to 16 from 17.
However, Mr Kenny said Fine Gael would play a "constructive" not "obstructive" role in the new all-party committee: "We will see what wording comes out - [ whether it is] minimalist or maximalist will be a decision for the committee," he declared.
The Government, which will put legislation ordering the EU treaty through the Oireachtas early next year, faces a tight timetable if the two referendums are to run together.
They could be held in late May, or early June, or in late September/early October, although Mr Kenny pointed out that France would by then have assumed the presidency of the EU.
"President [ Nicolas] Sarkozy is not the sort of fellow to stay quiet on a lot of issues," said Mr Kenny, who also said he had told fellow leaders in the European People's Party (EPP) - to which Fine Gael is allied - not to interfere in the upcoming EU campaign.
"They won't put their two left feet in it at all. For my part, I have told the EPP group: 'let's be very clear about this. I do not want to hear any talk about tax harmonisation'."
He said the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, had been "exceptionally clear" that the EU has "neither the intent nor the ability" to harmonise rates. "I don't want to hear any talk about expeditious reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. We have had three reforms already. We are set until 2013," he added.
He said he had told pro-EU federalists in the EPP that the Irish people have "to make a decision here" that will impact on Ireland and the EU and that they should "keep their opinions to themselves and we will make our judgment. I made the point that none of them can speak for the Irish people, that the Irish people will speak for themselves."
Mr Kenny said he was concerned that the timing of the UK's ratification of the EU treaty in the House of Commons could impact on the Irish debate if the British tabloid press launch another anti-EU campaign. "If it is played out for a very long time and is being pumped in here as a consequence, it can do its own damage," he commented.