Ms Gráinne McLoughlin:

I suppose it is there since the 1980s and certainly the 1990s. As I mentioned in my statement, Mr. Henegan had stated that the period could be extended to three years, instead of 18 months, without needing to go to a referendum. I do not know the answer to the Senator's question. The issue probably just lost traction. Perhaps people lost faith in the process because they tried to move things forward several times over the past 20 or 30 years.