Referendum on the Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 1997

Polling at the referendum, which was held in conjunction with a Presidential Election, took place on Thursday, 30 October 1997. The subject matter of the referendum was described as follows in the official polling card sent to each elector: ‘THE SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION (NO. 2) BILL, 1997, proposes to insert the following subsection after subsection 2° of section 4 of Article 28 of the Constitution: "3° The confidentiality of discussions at meetings of the Government shall be respected in all circumstances save only where the High Court determines that disclosure should be made in respect of a particular matter - i. in the interests of the administration of justice by a Court, or ii. by virtue of an overriding public interest, pursuant to an application in that behalf by a tribunal appointed by the Government or a Minister of the Government on the authority of the Houses of the Oireachtas to inquire into a matter stated by them to be of public importance.".’