Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I understand the Minister for Justice and Equality briefed parties last week on the proposed referendum on removing the article in the Constitution on supporting women in the home. Unfortunately, our party was not invited to that but I hear on the grapevine that the Government seems intent on moving towards simply deleting the existing provision rather than considering alternative wording. Our party has had a very consistent role in saying that caring work matters. We would like to consider, and would support, the option of an alternative wording so that we would maintain within the Constitution an aspiration and a direction towards supporting work that is outside the paid economy.

We have a very tight timeline in the context of an October referendum. Will the Government consider a proper consultation process rather than going straight ahead and making a decision, which may be being made as we speak, on having a referendum which will be a simple deletion, thereby ruling out the option of alternative wording which we would propose and support?

See this speech in context