Decision due 'shortly' on whether to hold gender equality referendum in November

Speaking in Co. Louth Simon Harris said he is unsure of where the Government’s thinking is at the moment until the Dáil resumes in mid-September.

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has said the Government will make a decision shortly on whether to hold the proposed gender equality referendum in November.

It comes as the Irish Examiner reported last week that doubt has been cast over whether the referendum will go ahead as planned. Officials who have been working on the wording of the amendments to the Constitution have privately said it would be “difficult” to see the referendum going ahead.

In July, the Irish Examiner reported that ministers were warned that holding the referendum in November was "not realistic".

It comes after a coalition of civic society groups has called on the Government to clarify when the wording on the gender equality referendum will be published. Speaking in Co. Louth to reporters on Monday, Mr Harris said he is unsure of where the Government’s thinking is at the moment until the Dáil resumes in mid-September.

He said he is conscious of the importance of the referendum and said it would be good if it could go ahead as planned in November. However, he said it is important that the referendum takes place when all the necessary work is done.

He said the Government will have to make a determination on this shortly. Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s department is working on the referendum, but it is understood it’s the Taoiseach who will decide on the date.

Leo Varadkar announced on International Women’s Day back in March that the referendum would be held in November.

Mr Harris said there are two parts to the referendum; removing gendered language which people, including himself, finds “offensive”. He said the issue of recognising that families now are founded on things beyond marriage is also to be explored in the referendum.

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The Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality recommended Article 40.1 of the Constitution should be amended to refer explicitly to gender equality and non-discrimination. The group also recommended the Constitution should be changed to protect all family life and should not be limited to the marital family.

It recommends Article 41.2, which refers to women in the home, 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. The Oireachtas committee on gender equality also supported this.

In an open letter to Mr Varadkar, the National Women's Council, One Family, Siptu, Family Carers Ireland, and Treoir said time was needed for a national conversation on the Family, Care, and Gender Equality referendum.

Three months after the wording was due to be finalised, the five groups said they were worried the delay could signal a Government "backtrack" and called for "urgent clarification".