Public consultation on a Referendum on Housing in Ireland

The Housing Commission has opened a public consultation on a referendum on housing.

Following a commitment in the Programme for Government and Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, a Housing Commission was established in December of 2021. The Commission’s Terms of Reference cover a wide range of issues connected to housing, one of which is to consider the complex constitutional issues arising in this area and to propose appropriate wording for a referendum on housing.

The Commission has heard from a range of domestic and international housing experts at its conference on a Referendum on Housing in Ireland on 10 and 11 May. This consultation forms a further important aspect of the consultation stage the Housing Commission’s work.

The submissions will provide invaluable input from the public and stakeholders to assist the Commission in its task of providing independent advice to the government.

This advice will present the critical factors for consideration and make recommendations as to appropriate wording to be put to the people in a referendum.

Input from all parties is welcome. This includes:

• all members of the public
• public representatives
• bodies working in housing and related areas across:

o the local authority sector

o the community and voluntary sector

o the construction sector

o related professional bodies

• those working in related policy and legal areas
• landlords
• tenants

The Housing Commission now invites submissions on whether there should be a referendum on the introduction of a constitutional amendment regarding housing, and, if so, what form such a constitutional amendment might take.

The Commission would like to encourage as many people as possible to have their say in this survey on a Referendum on Housing in Ireland.

There are 3 ways to provide your views:

• through responding to the consultation, ‘Public Consultation on a Referendum on Housing’ at this link: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/ReferendumonHousing22
• by emailing a submission to: ConsultHC@housingcommission.gov.ie
• by posting a submission to: Housing Commission, Custom House, Dublin, D01 W6X0

It is anticipated that there will be a high volume of interest in this consultation process. If you are making a formal submission (by email or post), please help the Commission to engage with your key points by keeping your submission to no more than 2,500 words.

Please provide your submission by Friday 2 September 2022.

Respondents are advised that the survey responses are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and Data Protection. Please also note that submissions may be included as an appendix in any reporting that emerges from the consultation process. In this event, details of names and emails in the submissions will be anonymised.

All submissions received must be accompanied with the full name (first name, surname) and name of organisation, if appropriate. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted.

The Commission reserves the right not to accept a submission if it is deemed offensive or inappropriate.

The Privacy Statement sets out how the Housing Commission operates Data Protection principles and rules.

To view the consultation click the button below.