Children’s rights groups welcome referendum plan

CHILDREN’S welfare groups have broadly welcomed yesterday’s surprise decision by the Government to bow to their requests for a constitutional referendum.

However, they say it will be an opportunity lost if it only uses the referendum to close loopholes created by the Mr A case.

Their concern is that the wording of the referendum will fall short of the sweeping reforms for which they have fought. Delivering his speech, An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern did not propose any potential wording and evasively referred to both child protection based change and the more significant rights of the child approach.