YOU MAY NOT be aware that there are in fact two referenda (or referendums) being held on 4 October – one on whether to abolish the Seanad, the other on whether to establish a new Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal referendum has received little attention amid the heated debate over the future of the Seanad with the Referendum Commission expressing concern this week about the lack of public debate.

Briefly, the referendum is asking voters whether they want to establish a Court of Appeal. The new court would be established at the level between the High Court and the Supreme Court to deal with most appeals which are currently dealt with by the Supreme Court where there is a four-year backlog.

While on the face of it this would appear to be a good idea, concerns have been raised about the necessity of new judges for the court and the costs that would be involved in setting up and maintaining it.

Today, we want to know: Do you want to establish a Court of Appeal?

Read: The Court of Appeal referendum is one thing all political parties are agreed on