The Referendum Commission will not be presenting both sides of the issue in future referendum campaigns, the Government has decided.
And new legislation, due to be published today, means that political parties and interest groups will not be getting State money to fight referendum campaigns as proposed recently by the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on the Constitution. According to a Government spokesman, the Cabinet has decided that such a process would be unworkable.
The Government hopes to publish the necessary Bill today but last night it was still being finalised and it was uncertain if there would be time for it to be taken in the Dβil before Friday, the last day before the Christmas recess.
If the proposal goes ahead, it would mean that in the proposed abortion poll, the Referendum Commission would merely be placing advertisements in the newspaper and on television giving factual information on the referendum.