S.I. No. 206/2001 - Referendum (Special Difficulty) Order, 2001

The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 164 (1) of the Electoral Act, 1992 , hereby orders as follows:

1.       This order may be cited as the Referendum (Special Difficulty) Order, 2001.

2.       In this order —

“the Act of 1992” means the Electoral Act, 1992 ;

“the referenda” means the referenda to be held on the proposals for the amendment of the Constitution contained in the Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill, 2001, in the Twenty-third Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001 and in the Twenty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001.

3.       For the purposes of the referenda on the proposals contained in the Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill, 2001, in the Twenty-third Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001 and in the Twenty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001, the polls at which are to be taken on the 7^th day of June, 2001, section 23 (1) of the Referendum Act, 1994 shall have effect as if there were inserted after paragraph (a) thereof the following paragraph:

“(aa) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), where by reason of the extent of the matters proposed for amendment in the referenda it would not be practical or possible to include the same as provided in that paragraph in a polling information card, the statements in relation to the proposals the subject of the referenda may be supplied in a separate document and such document shall include the notice set out in the Table to this paragraph and shall for the purposes of subsections (2), (3) and (4) of section 92 of the Act of 1992 (as applied by section 32 of the Referendum Act, 1994 ) be deemed to be a polling information card.

Table

May 2001

Referendums on 7^th June, 2001

Dear Elector,

On behalf of the local returning officer for your constituency I am sending you this booklet containing the Statements for the Information of Voters, which have been prescribed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, for the 3 referendums at which you are entitled to vote on the 7^th June, 2001. The Referendum Commission will publish material explaining the three proposals which are the subject of the referendums and summarising the arguments for voting in favour of the proposals and the arguments for voting against the proposals.

In addition (unless you are a postal or special voter), you will receive from your local returning officer a polling information card informing you of your number on the register of electors, the date of the poll at the referendums, the polling station at which you should attend at in order to vote, and the documents which are acceptable as evidence of identity in order to vote.

Yours sincerely,

P Greene

Referendum Returning Officer

Bealtaine 2001

Reifrinn 7^ú Meitheamh, 2001

A thoghthóra, a chara,

Ar son cheann chomhairimh do thoghcheantar, tá mé ag cur chugat an leabhrán seo ina bhfuil Ráitis Eolais do Vótóirí atá leagtha síos ag dhá Theach an Oireachtais le haghaidh trí reifreann a bhfuil tú i dteideal vótaí a chaitheamh iontu ar an 7^ú Meitheamh 2001. Foilseoidh an Coimisiún Reifrinn ábhar a mhíneoidh na trí mholadh atá i gceist sna reifrinn agus cuimriú ar na hargóintí ar son vótála ar son na moltaí agus ar na hargóintí ar son vótála in aghaidh na moltaí.

Ina dteannta sin (mura vótóir poist nó vótóir speisialta thú), gheobhaidh tú ón gceann comhairimh áitiúil cárta eolais toghchánaíochta a léireoidh d'uimhir ar chlár na dtoghthóirí, dáta na vótála sna reifrinn, an stáisiún vótála ar cheart duit dul chun do vóta a chaitheamh, agus na doiciméid atá inghlactha mar chruthú aitheantais chun vóta a chaitheamh.

Is mise, le meas,

P Greene

Ceann Comhairimh an Reifrinn”

Explanatory Note

This note is not part of the instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.

This order modifies section 23 of the Referendum Act, 1994 to enable the statements for the information of voters at the referendums on the Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill, 2001, the Twenty-third Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001 and the Twenty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001, which were prescribed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, to issue to each presidential elector separate from the polling information card.