Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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57. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to hold referendums in 2019. [4260/19]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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At its meeting on 4 December 2018, the Government reviewed the progress on Bills to amend the Constitution and agreed that two referendums would be held on the same date as the local and European elections in late May 2019.  A referendum would be held on the issue of divorce which would be a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality while the second referendum would concern extending the franchise at Presidential elections to Irish citizens resident outside the State. 

In light of the significant impact that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union is having across all of Government, particularly in the first quarter of 2019, the Government agreed on 5 February 2019 that the proposed referendum on extending the franchise at Presidential elections would be deferred until October 2019.

Furthermore, the Government also agreed on 5 February that the preferred option to be put to the people for a referendum is for an extension of the franchise to all citizens resident outside the State, including citizens resident in Northern Ireland.  This will now inform the development of a Constitution Amendment Bill in good time for the holding of a referendum in October 2019.