Welcome

The Referendum Commission does not have a continuing existence. Under the Referendum Act 1998, on each occasion that a referendum falls to be held, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government may, at his discretion, appoint a Referendum Commission. The Commission is required to present a report to that Minister within 6 months of polling day and the Commission dissolves one month later.

Latest Information

March 2010 - Report of the Referendum Commission on the Referendum on the Twenty-Eighth Amendment of the Constitution ( Treaty of Lisbon) Bill 2009.

Current status of the Referendum Commission

The Referendum Commission in respect of the second Lisbon Treaty referendum in 2009 was established on 7 July 2009, under the Chairmanship of Mr Justice Frank Clarke. Polling day for the referendum was 2 October 2009. The Commission established a dedicated website - www.lisbontreaty2009.ie - for the purposes of its information campaign.

The Commission presented its report to the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government on 28 January 2010.  In accordance with the provisions of the Referendum Act 1998, the Commission dissolved one month later on 28 February 2010.

Role of the Referendum Commission

The role of the Referendum Commission is to explain the subject matter of referendum proposals, to promote public awareness of the referendum and to encourage the electorate to vote at the poll. The Commission is an independent body. (Since 2001 the Commission no longer has the role of putting the arguments for and against referendum proposals.)

Membership of the Referendum Commission

The Commission is Chaired by a former member of the High Court or the Supreme Court or by a serving member of the High Court. The Chairman is appointed by the Chief Justice at the request of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. There are four ex officio members. They are:

The Clerk of Dáil Éireann
The Clerk of Seanad Éireann
The Ombudsman
The Comptroller and Auditor General

The Secretariat to the Commission is provided by the Office of the Ombudsman. The Commission is funded by the sponsoring Department of the relevant referendum proposal, e.g. the funding for the Lisbon Treaty referendums was provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs.


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