Referendum on housing
Deputy O'Callaghan asks when the promised housing referendum will be held and whether it will enshrine a right to housing. The Tánaiste says the Government remains committed to it during the Dáil term but no date or final wording has been set.
The Ombudsman for Children has called on the Government to bring forward a referendum to put the right to housing in the Constitution and to address the homelessness crisis as a matter of urgency. The programme for Government commits to a referendum on housing. As we know, since 2014 the Constitutional Convention also recommended such a referendum. When will a referendum be brought forward? Will this referendum be on the right to housing?
Comment on this
The Government is committed to a referendum on the right to housing. That will happen during the term of this Dáil. There is no date set for it. Obviously, we have to agree the wording, because any time we amend the Constitution the wording that we put in is then interpreted by the courts in a way that is superior to any law that we pass here. We need to ensure that we get the wording right when we change our Constitution.
I would issue a word of caution, though. A total of 83 countries in the world have either a legal or constitutional right to housing. They all have homelessness and they all have problems in their housing markets. People find it difficult to pay the rent and get homes. We should not make the mistake of thinking that a legal or constitutional right in itself solves the problem. What will solve the problem is an increase in housing supply of all forms, including social housing, places to rent and places for people to buy. That will not be achieved through a constitutional amendment, but it can be achieved through further Government action.