Arising out of the Taoiseach's replies in general I should like to ask him which of the two options he has presented to us he would favour as his initial reply would present the option of a static society and the other would present the option that he himself described as unattractive, which was rushing back to the electorate at every moment with referenda. I ask this particularly in the context of the area of child care which encompasses two major areas, the area of illegitimacy and the area of adoption of children who are abandoned in homes with no entitlement to a family life, destined to that by our Constitution. Is the Taoiseach telling us that we must either accept the static view of society with no change, or are we going to accept as a principle of operation this constant holding of referenda? I would prefer the second option to the first rather than constantly going back to the country with referenda on these very important issues.

I am afraid I have not grasped the Deputy's points precisely. My own view is that with care and consideration there are very few things in the area of social reform in particular that we cannot do by legislation without necessarily changing the Constitution.