Gilmore denies hiding on vote
It also emerged the Government will spend €17m on running the referendum and informing voters about issues on the treaty.
The figures were revealed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
The news came as Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore attacked claims that a website launched to raise awareness of the vote breached impartiality rules because it contained links to political speeches by members of the Government.
Despite the May 31 referendum date being known for some time, Mr Gilmore said the impartiality rules did not kick in until the vote legislation formally passes through the Dáil.
The stance provoked outrage among anti-treaty campaigners, who said the Government was using public funds to try and shape the outcome of the vote in contravention of the spirit of a legal judgment known as the McKenna rule.
United Left Alliance TD Richard Boyd Barrett said: “It is clearly an abuse of taxpayers’ money and breaches the whole principle behind the impartiality rule. This is a ‘vote yes’ website giving a one-sided slant, and they are just using a technicality to claim otherwise.”
Mr Gilmore, at the launch of stabilitytreaty.ie, insisted the referendum had not yet been officially called. “This is the provision of information and the rules relating to the McKenna judgment kick in once the referendum is ordered by the minister for environment — and at the moment the legislation is still going through the House. What we are providing here is information, this isn’t advocacy.”
The website has cost taxpayers €30,000 to develop, with Government employees helping to maintain it.
Meanwhile, Mr Kenny said €17m would be spent on polling and on count centres for the May 31 vote.
This includes: €2.2m to be spent on the independent referendum commission and €2m on pamphlets and leaflets. Of the spend on leaflets, €480,000 will be spent on distributing copies of the treaty, €220,000 on leaflets, €350,000 on advertisements, €30,000 on a website, and 20,000 on information in Braille.
He said €4.2m in funds will come directly from his department while the remainder for polling and counting votes will come from the Department of the Environment, he told an Oireachtas committee
Richard Bruton, the enterprise minister, hinted for the first time that Ireland may need a bailout next year and that would only be an option if the treaty passes.
“I think it would be very shortsighted to turn away a safety net that is being provided here,” he told Newstalk.
Meanwhile, a poll showed both sides had a chance of victory as 39% of voters have yet to make up their minds.
An Ipsos/MRBI poll for The Irish Times showed 30% said they would vote yes, 23% would vote no, 39% are undecided, and 8% said they would not vote.
