Who decides on the final form of the ballot text?

The Referendum Acts, 1992 to 2001

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1992/en/act/pub/0022/index.html

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1994/en/act/pub/0012/sec0024.html#sec24

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/pdf/1998/en.act.1998.0001.pdf

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/pdf/2001/en.act.2001.0053.pdf

Article 24.

(1) At a constitutionalreferendum—

(a) every ballot papershall be in the form set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Act, and

(b) the proposal whichis the subject of the referendum shall be stated on the ballot paper by citingby its short title the Bill containing such proposal passed or deemed to havebeen passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas.

(2) At an ordinaryreferendum every ballot paper shall be in the form set out in Part II of the Second Schedule to this Act, and itshall contain a reference to the Bill or the portion of the Bill containing theproposal which is the subject of the referendum.

(3) Where the same dayis the polling day at two or more referenda separate ballot papers shall beissued for each referendum.

(4) (a)At a referendum the Minister may, by order, provide for the entry at thebeginning of the front of the ballot paper to be used at the referendum of aheading indicative of the proposal which is the subject of the referendum andthe referendum returning officer shall cause such heading to be printed on theballot papers.

(b) Where an orderunder this subsection is proposed to be made, a draft thereof shall be laidbefore each House of the Oireachtas and the order shall not be made until aresolution approving of the draft has been passed by each such House.

(5) (a)The ballot papers shall be numbered consecutively on the back and the back ofthe counterfoil attached to each ballot paper shall bear the same number.

(b) The numbers on theballot papers shall be printed in the smallest characters compatible withlegibility and shall be printed on or about the centre of the paper.

(c)Apart from anything permitted by the form set out in the said Second Schedule nothing shall appear onthe ballot paper except in accordance with the provisions of this section.

The templates of theballot paper for constitutional and ordinary referendums are specified by lawin Part I and II of the Second Schedule to the Referendum Acts.

For all referendums, theonly text on the ballot paper that is not specified by the template is thesubject of the referendum. The Minister for the environment may draft an orderspecifying the subject (title) of the referendum to be printed on the ballottext. The order must be approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas before it isenacted by the electoral authorities.