Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 20, inclusive, together.

As I announced in March, the Government intends to hold a referendum in November this year on gender equality, as recommended by the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality and the special Oireachtas Joint Committee on Gender Quality. The decision to hold one or more referendums on this issue is in line with the commitment in the programme for Government to respond to the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality. An interdepartmental group, led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, was established in March and is working on the development of policy recommendations for consideration by the Government and wording for the proposed referendums. There are various other proposals for further constitutional reforms under consideration. However, no final decisions have been made as yet on the timing for the holding of other referendums in respect of them.

Some of these proposed reforms arise from the programme for Government, such as those on housing and extending the franchise in presidential elections to Irish citizens living outside the State, while others, such as that on the EU agreement on the Unified Patent Court, arise from existing legal requirements. The establishment of the Electoral Commission will help to streamline the conduct of referendums and provide independent oversight.

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