Voters may get a referendum on quicker divorces after a Fine Gael TD proposed halving the waiting period.

At the moment, couples must be separated for four years before qualifying for a divorce. However Fine Gael TD Josepha Madigan has proposed reducing this to two years.

The Sunday Times claims a lack of opposition to the changes could mean the country votes on divorce again before we have our say on abortion.

Labour Senator Ivana Bacik said long waiting times for divorces were a strategic move at the time of the last referendum.

“It was seen as a way of ensuring the divorce referendum was passed,” she said.

“Remember the original divorce referendum of 1986 had failed and in fact in 1995 it only just passed, so it was thought it was quite a good strategy.

“(However) many of us – especially lawyers – had a real issue with this at the time (and thought) it was placing an unnecessary hurdle right into the Constitution.”