Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2023
87. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm when he intends to publish the report from the Housing Commission on the right to housing; and when he intends to bring a memo to Cabinet on the issue of the referendum on the right to housing. [49145/23]
View answerI understand the Minister has received the final copy of the report from the Housing Commission on the proposed referendum to insert the right to housing in the Constitution. Will the Minister confirm to the House that it is the recommendation of the Housing Commission to hold such a referendum and that it will provide appropriate wording? When will the Minister publish the report? Most importantly, when will he bring a memo to Cabinet to advance its recommendations and get Cabinet approval to set a date next year in order that the electorate can decide whether to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution?
In line with programme for government commitments I established the Housing Commission in December 2021 as an independent body to examine and evaluate Ireland's housing system, including issues such as tenure standards, sustainability, quality-of-life issues and the provision of housing. At the same time, I also tasked the commission to advise the Government on the critical factors to be considered regarding a referendum on housing and, if appropriate, to recommend a wording for a constitutional change. While not a commitment to a referendum on a right to housing this was not precluded from the commission's terms of reference.
The commission recently submitted its report and recommendations to me regarding the proposed constitutional amendment. In reaching its conclusions the commission examined the range of complex constitutional questions arising. I commend it on the work all its members have done and I know Deputy Ó Broin will join me in this. It undertook comprehensive consultation, researched international experience, evaluated various proposed wordings and considered other critical factors involved in introducing an amendment to the Constitution.
I am considering the commission's comprehensive analysis and report, together with the next steps in the process. I expect the next step will be to bring it to the Government and I expect to do so shortly. If it is agreed at Cabinet I will be looking at what the next steps are. I would see the Cathaoirleach of the Oireachtas joint committee and Deputies Ó Broin and McAuliffe, as members, also having a role in this. I expect in quite a short space of time to be able to bring the report and recommendations to Cabinet, along with my recommendations on where we go next in the process. I believe the joint committee will have an important role in this, and how we move it on from there is something that will have to be agreed with its members. It is significant and good work. I understand there could potentially also be a minority report coming but I want to move ahead with the report that I have. I will bring it to the Government shortly.
I join the Minister in commending the Housing Commission on its work on this. All the members of the joint committee are keen to see the report. While the Oireachtas joint committee will have an important role to play, I hope the Minister's intention is not to refer the report of the Housing Commission to our committee to get our advice back to the Government. It would be much better if the Government were to take a decision on this and produce legislation, and then our committee could have a role in the scrutiny of the draft referendum legislation. Not unlike the referral to our committee of the recommendations of the citizens' assembly on a directly elected mayor, some of us have a concern that such a procedure is more of a delaying tactic. The committee will have a role in scrutinising the legislation.
At this point in time, is the Minister in a position to give us any indication as to whether he hopes to proceed to propose the referendum or simply to refer the report from the Housing Commission to the committee, given the timelines of the local and European elections and the general election, which are fast approaching? Many of us are very keen to see the possibility of a referendum on this important issue next year.
I understand the point Deputy Ó Broin has made. First I must get a decision from the Government based on the recommendations that I will bring forward as to what the next steps are. I know the committee has engaged on this and it is important that the committee views the report. I do not believe that should take a great length of time either but the committee needs to consider what is in it. The next step is that I will bring it to Cabinet with my recommendations once I have finished reviewing it. Included in my recommendations will be what I believe the next steps should be. I would welcome input from interested Deputies in advance of this once a Government decision is made. The Oireachtas joint committee is made up of Members from throughout the House and people who have a particular interest in it and it needs to be involved. I know what the electoral cycle is as well. Next June we will have local and European elections. I cannot see it happening on that day, but who knows? I have to get a decision and approval from the Government as to the next steps and I intend to do this in the coming weeks.
I thank the Minister. I am aware there is the possibility of a minority report. This is very healthy and I welcome it. Concern has been expressed by some that there have been attempts to politically influence the work of the Housing Commission, not from the Minister or the Department but from the Taoiseach's office. There has also been some very concerning reports about possible litigation arising from the deliberations of the Housing Commission. Is the Minister aware of these issues? Has he spoken to the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, about this or to anybody who may be considering legal action? While people are entitled to have a minority view, and a minority report would be very helpful, if there has been any attempt by the Taoiseach's office or his advisers to influence or interfere with the work of the committee, and if there has been any attempt to use threats of litigation to undermine its work, this would be most disappointing. I want to make it clear again that I know none of this is in any way coming from the Minister or his offices. Is he aware of them and can he comment on them? Will he tell us whether it is his intention to bring a memo on this issue to the Cabinet before Christmas?
I thank Deputy Ó Broin. If a minority report comes forward that is fine. It is a good thing and it shows that people are taking the matter seriously. The commissioners are drawn from all different walks of life and perspectives. It is a small number of members and the vast majority are in agreement with the report as it is.
I want to be clear that I have had no information on any type of attempt to influence the commission. I absolutely doubt this has happened. No one has said it to me. The Taoiseach has been very supportive of this process. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, were supportive of the establishment of the commission and are supportive of the work it is doing not only on the referendum but on the future of housing in Ireland. If Deputy Ó Broin has any information in that regard, he should bring it forward. Certainly, it has not been brought to my attention.
