€600k cost of citizens’debate

The full cost of the citizens’ assembly to debate abortion laws, among other matters, will be €600,000 over the course of 12 months.

However, Senator Michael McDowell has labelled the process as pointless and an “exercise in political cowardice”.

The former justice minister and tánaiste claimed that the 100 people randomly selected to debate the tense constitutional issue would be “in no better position than 100 people chosen at a football match”.