Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We asked for advice on extending the term in either direction. Our constraint is constitutional. Other countries do not have Bunreacht na hÉireann. They have their own constitutional arrangements to make their laws compliant. It is not just the retrospectivity. It is also about property rights within our Constitution, which are very strong. There is a different set of circumstances in other countries. The EU's recommendation for those had considered both before and after, and for a range of reasons chose not to extend it either later or earlier than that time period.