INDEPENDENT TD SHANE Ross has proposed a new bill which would allow the government to postpone the date of the referendum if the turmoil in the eurozone continues.

Ross said that an opinion poll released today had found a large number of people confused about the referendum and wish it to be clarified. Ross told the Dáil that the bill would not compel the government to change the date but offered them the option to do so if events necessitated it.

The Dublin South TD told the Dáil he had written a bill which would take one or two days to be passed by the Dáil or the Seanad.

However the suggestion was dismissed by Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, who said the move was an “extreme measure” when Ross “can’t even make up his mind as to how to vote on the Treaty”.

The Tánaiste said the Referendum Commission had ruled that the date of the referendum can not be changed – and added that the date needed to stay the same for stability and certainty.

He told the Dáil that more information was available on the Treaty than for previous treaties.