Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the Irish government is working towards having a gender equality referendum in early March.
Earlier this year, the Department of the Taoiseach said that a referendum on gender equality would be held in November 2023.
However, in the Dáil on Tuesday, Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach to confirm when the Bill for the gender equality referendum will come before the Dáil and Seanad and whether that will be before Christmas.
"I am conscious that time is of the essence if the referendum is to be held on International Women's Day on 8 March next year," Bacik noted.
The Taoiseach responded: “On the gender equality issue, two referendums will be proposed to Cabinet next Tuesday. We should be in a position to share with the Dáil immediately after that.
“We will have the wording next Tuesday and in order to have the referendum in early March, which is the current timeframe we are working towards, it will be necessary to have the Bill in the House either before Christmas or, if not, first thing in January when the Dáil returns.”
While Bacik welcomed the Taoiseach's indication on the timing, she did add: "It is of concern to see reports about the wording proposed and that it will apparently deviate from what we proposed in the Joint Committee on Gender Equality and what the citizens' assembly recommended.
"In particular, we are concerned to see that, rather than offering a meaningful recognition of carers, it is reported that the draft will merely 'strive to support the provision of care,' which is a rather ineffective phrase.
"Furthermore, we understand from the reports in the newspapers that the provision of care to be recognized in the Constitution will be limited to that provided within the home or family, whereas the committee and the citizens' assembly proposed a more inclusive definition of care to include care outside the home.
"Crucially, in light of the Johnny O'Meara case, we also want to ensure the referendum will expand the definition of 'family' beyond that based on marriage. I would welcome clarity on that."
Just now in the #Dáil I sought clarity from Taoiseach on wording for proposed March 2024 #EqualityRef - vital that @CitizAssembly recoms are adopted -our Constitution must reflect the real diversity in Irish society today. @NWCI @TREOIR @ChildRightsIRL https://t.co/KCzDRLmH9w…
— Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) November 21, 2023
In March, the Department of the Taoiseach said that the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality, in its final report to the Oireachtas in June 2021, made recommendations for amendments to Articles 40 and 41 of the Constitution.
These were that: Article 40.1 of the Constitution should be amended to refer explicitly to gender equality and non-discrimination; Article 41 of the Constitution should be amended so that it would protect family life, with the protection afforded to the family not limited to the marital family; Article 41.2 of the Constitution should be deleted and replaced with language that is not gender specific and obliges the State to take reasonable measures to support care within the home and wider community.
A Special Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality was established - Bacik served as Cathaoirleach (chairperson) - and met from December 2021 to consider the Citizens Assembly recommendations together with the government’s response.
The Committee concluded its work and published its final report on December 21, 2022. In its report, the Committee set out its own recommendations and an action plan, including recommendations for a referendum or referendums on Articles 40 and 41 of the Constitution.
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