FINE GAEL has outlined plans to cut judges’ pay within 12 months of going into government and hold a children’s rights referendum on the same day as this year’s presidential election.
Party leader Enda Kenny said he hoped to hold a “Constitution day” during which citizens would vote on proposals including reducing the number of TDs by 20, abolishing the Seanad and reducing the president’s term from seven to five years.
“We would hope to do this within 12 months of government if that’s what happens in the general election,” he said.
Fine Gael’s spokesman on justice Alan Shatter said the judiciary had been immune from reductions in public sector pay. Fine Gael would “remove their immunity” and ensure judges were affected by the same salary decreases that had been applied to the public service.
He said constitutional change was required to alter this situation and such a proposal would be one of a number put to the people on “Constitution Day” after a consultative citizens’ assembly was set up.
People will also be asked to vote on giving Dáil committees full powers of investigation and putting the Ombudsman’s office “on a constitutional footing”.
Referring to the proposed reduction in the presidential term of office, Mr Kenny said it made “eminent common sense” to hold presidential elections in conjunction with local and European elections, which take place every five years.
Mr Kenny said he believed a single-chamber Oireachtas would be much more effective than continuing with a Dáil and Seanad. “We’ve done a sort of a tentative draft of the Constitution without references to the Seanad,” he said.
Fine Gael is also proposing the elimination of severance payments for government ministers, changing their pension entitlements and imposing car pooling arrangements, as well as introducing a pay cut for the taoiseach.
Separately, spokesman on children Charlie Flanagan confirmed a referendum on children’s rights would be a “real priority” for a Fine Gael-led administration.
“There is a window of opportunity later this year in the context of the presidential election in the autumn,” Mr Flanagan said “and we would be aiming to have the matter of the children’s rights referendum dealt with in conjunction with the presidential election.
“Every day that goes by without a referendum acknowledging the voice of children in the Constitution is a poor day for children.”.
A cross-party committee led by Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke proposed a referendum and a suggested wording for a constitutional amendment in February 2010. Late last year, a new wording was agreed following discussions between Attorney General Paul Gallagher and then minister of state for children, Barry Andrews.
On Friday, Mr Andrews said the Government had “run out of road” in relation to the referendum but called for a referendum based on the wording proposed last month.
Meanwhile, responding to increasingly positive opinion poll results for Fine Gael, Mr Kenny said the party would not become complacent or be distracted by such results and would “run this election very hard right through to the close of polls”.
He said Fine Gael had no arrangement with any other party ahead of the election and the only parties it was ruling out as coalition partners were Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
When asked if the Greens would be acceptable, he said: “I’m not sure how the Greens are going to fare out. We’re all in the hands of the people in that regard.”
Mr Kenny also said he was looking forward to the five-way leaders’ debate due to be broadcast live on television tonight.
