Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to convey the apologies of the Minister for housing to the Senator.

In line with programme for Government commitments, the Minister for Housing Local Government and Heritage established the Commission on Housing in December 2021 as an independent body to examine and evaluate Ireland's housing system, including issues such as tenure, standards, sustainability and quality-of-life issues in the provision of housing. At the same time, the Minister also tasked the commission to advise the Government, in an independent and objective manner, on the critical factors to be considered regarding a referendum on housing and, if appropriate, to recommend wording for a constitutional change. Importantly, the commission was not tasked with considering a constitutional change vis-à-vis a right to housing. However, this was not precluded by the commission’s terms of reference.

The commission’s official referendum report was submitted to the Minister last summer. It sets out recommendations regarding a proposed constitutional amendment on housing. In reaching its conclusions, the commission examined, among other things, the range of complex constitutional questions arising. It undertook a comprehensive consultation, researched international experience, evaluated various proposed wordings and considered other critical factors involved with introducing an amendment to the Constitution. At this time, the Minister was also advised by the chair of the Housing Commission that a minority referendum report would likely be submitted by a smaller group of members, reflecting an alternative view to that presented in the commission’s official referendum report. Unfortunately, this minority report was not received until mid-November.

Given the expectation at that time that the commission would report imminently on its broader examination and evaluation of the Irish housing system, a decision was taken to delay bringing the commission’s official and minority referendum reports to Government, and to bring all three reports to Government at the same time.Unfortunately, submission of the commission's broader report to the Minister has been significantly delayed in the meantime, though it is expected to be submitted to the Minister in the coming weeks. Once received, and following due consideration given by the Minister, he plans to bring the commission’s official and minority reports to the Government shortly thereafter. The Minister will outline the proposed next steps vis-à-vis the holding of a referendum at that stage. However, it is not a straightforward matter of accepting the commission’s report and simply scheduling a referendum. The range of issues at play, including the scheduling of a referendum, require careful examination before a definitive direction of travel is agreed. Regard must also be had to the need for a referendum in the first instance, as well as the scale and complexity of work required to consider implications of any agreed amendment to develop policy proposals for Government approval and to conclude the parliamentary process and referendum campaign. Ultimately, the holding of a referendum on housing will be a matter for the Government to decide.