Senator Bacik Addresses Lawyers' Concerns on Abbeylara Referendum

SENATOR BACIK ADDRESSES LAWYERS' CONCERNS ON ABBEYLARA REFERENDUM

Senator Ivana Bacik, Labour Senator for Dublin University,
Monday 24th October 2011

Senator Ivana Bacik today challenged the concerns of the lawyers who have called for a ‘No' vote in the ‘Abbeylara' or Oireachtas Inquiries Referendum (the 30th Amendment of the Constitution), and again expressed her strong support for the referendum.

Speaking about the referendum, Senator Bacik said:

“Despite being a member of the legal profession, I am strongly supporting the referendum because it will give the Oireachtas more power to hold the Government to account; and will shift some power away from the courts and back to the elected representatives.

Senator Bacik also said:

“The two key concerns expressed by lawyers are, first that Oireachtas Committees should not replace 'Commissions of Investigation' such as the Murphy Commission which inquired into child sexual abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. But it is clear that Oireachtas Committee inquiries would not replace these other forms of inquiry - what they would do is offer an alternative, transparent and effective method of examining certain major issues of public interest where it is more appropriate that these inquiries be carried out in public – for example, an inquiry into how the disastrous bank guarantee of September 2008 came about.

“The other concern expressed by lawyers is that the amendment would rule out recourse to the courts for ordinary citizens. But it is clear that the Courts can still review the way in which the Oireachtas strikes the balance between the rights of persons and the public interest - the amendment does not rule out recourse to the courts, despite the scaremongering. What the amendment will do is strengthen and enhance the investigative powers of our elected representatives in parliament and enable them to hold the Government to account – that is an important feature of any democratic parliament and would undoubtedly strengthen our democracy, whatever the legal profession may say.”

ENDS