Editing Constitution of Ireland (section)

====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>