Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Taoiseach's response that the referendum on housing is coming. Will he consult the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage to seek its opinion on the proposed wording? A constitutional right to housing will not guarantee every person in the State a home but it would place an important legal obligation on current and future Governments to progressively realise that right through their policies, laws and budgets. A referendum to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution will also provide an opportunity for a national conversation about the meaning and place of a home in our society. This conversation must make its way to the child poverty unit to be established in the Department of the Taoiseach. Ultimately, the housing crisis can only be resolved through large-scale public housing provision, proper regulation of the private rental sector and progressive activation of the private sector. Does the Taoiseach believe the referendum on the right to housing could be held before the end of the year?

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