Editing Constitution of Ireland (section)

===All-Party Oireachtas Committee===
The All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution was established in 1996.

====First committee====
The First All-Party Committee (1996–1997), chaired by [[Fine Gael]] TD [[Jim O'Keeffe]], published two progress reports in 1997:

*''1st Progress Report'', 1997<ref name="apcreport01">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution|author2=Jim O'Keeffe
 | year = 1997
 | title = First progress report
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7076-3858-5
}}</ref>
*''2nd Progress Report'', 1997<ref name="apcreport02">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Jim O'Keeffe
 | year = 1997
 | title = Second progress report
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7076-3868-2
}}</ref>

====Second committee====
The Second All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution (1997–2002) was chaired by [[Fianna Fáil]] TD [[Brian Lenihan Jnr|Brian Lenihan]]. It published five progress reports:

*''3rd Progress Report: The President'', 1998<ref name="apcreport03">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Brian Lenihan
 | year = 1998
 | title = Third progress report: The President
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7076-6161-7
}}</ref>
*''4th Progress Report: the courts and judiciary'', 1999<ref name="apcreport04">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Brian Lenihan
 | year = 1999
 | title = Fourth progress report: the courts and judiciary
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7076-6297-4
}}</ref>
*''5th Progress Report: abortion'', 2000<ref name="apcreport05">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Brian Lenihan
 | year = 2000
 | title = Fifth progress report: abortion
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7076-9001-3
}}</ref>
*''6th Progress Report: the referendum'', 2001<ref name="apcreport06">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Brian Lenihan
 | year = 2001
 | title = Sixth progress report: the referendum
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7557-1168-8
}}</ref>
*''7th Progress Report: Parliament'', 2002<ref name="apcreport07">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Brian Lenihan
 | year = 2002
 | title = Seventh progress report: parliament
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7557-1211-0
}}</ref>

The second committee also published two commissioned works:
*''A new electoral system for Ireland?'', by Michael Laver (1998)<ref name="apcpub01">{{cite book
 | last = Laver
 | first = Michael
 |author2=All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 | year = 1998
 | title = A new electoral system for Ireland?
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 1-902585-00-3
}}</ref>
*''Bunreacht na hÉireann: a study of the Irish text'', by Micheál Ó Cearúil (1999)<ref name="apcpub02">{{cite book
 | last = Ó Cearúil
 | first = Micheál
 |author2=All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 | year = 1999
 | title = Bunreacht na hÉireann: a study of the Irish text
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7076-6400-4
}}</ref>

====Third committee====
The Third All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution (2002–2007) was chaired by [[Fianna Fáil]] TD [[Denis O'Donovan]]. It described its task as being to "complete the programme of constitutional amendments begun by the earlier committees, aimed at renewing the Constitution in all its parts, for implementation over a number of years". It described the job as "unprecedented", noting that "no other state with the referendum as its sole mechanism for constitutional change has set itself so ambitious an objective".<ref name="2002commiteeworkprogramme">See [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721123405/http://www.constitution.ie/work-programme/default.asp?UserLang=EN Work Programme of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution]</ref>

The committee divided its work into considering three types of amendment:
*'''technical/editorial''': changes in form but not in substance, for example changing "he" to "he or she" where it is clear that a provision in the Constitution applies to both men and women.
*'''non-contentious''': changes in substance generally agreeable to the people, for example describing the President as Head of State.
*'''contentious''': changes in substance which of their nature divide people, for example changes in the character and scope of human rights.

The Third All-Party Committee published three reports:<ref name="reportlist">see [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721123405/http://www.constitution.ie/publications/default.asp?UserLang=EN Publications of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution]</ref>

*''8th Progress Report: Government, 2003''<ref name="apc8threport">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Denis O'Donovan
 | year = 2003
 | title = Eighth progress report: government
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7557-1552-7
}}</ref>
*''9th Progress Report: Private Property, 2004''<ref name="apc9threport">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Denis O'Donovan
 | year = 2004
 | title = Ninth progress report: private property
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7557-1901-8
}}</ref>
*''10th Progress Report: The Family'', 2006<ref name="apc10threport">{{cite book
 | last = All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
 |author2=Denis O'Donovan
 | year = 2006
 | title = Tenth progress report: the family
 | publisher = Stationery Office
 | location = Dublin
 | isbn = 0-7557-7350-0 
}}</ref>