The Irish Government has announced that a Constitutional Convention comprised of politicians and ordinary citizens will be established in July to discuss potential reforms of the Irish Constitution. Bulletin readers may recall the initial proposed establishment of the Convention was met with NGO concerns that its remit might be too narrow.
The Convention will be comprised of ordinary citizens and politicians from the Oireachtas and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Issues that have been identified for discussion include a review of the Dail electoral system; provision for same-sex marriage; amending the clause on women in the home and encouraging greater participation of women in public life; and removing the concept of blasphemy from the Constitution.
It was originally proposed that the Convention would report back within 12 months of its establishment. However, an official spokesperson would only confirm that it would have completed its work by the end of the Government’s term.
Click here to see an article by the Irish Times.
Meanwhile, in a separate consultation process, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has launched a new public consultation. This will feed into the development of the new National Children’s Strategy and other key policies and strategies within the Department over the next five years, including strategies on early years and youth affairs. The consultation is open to any interested persons, and the closing date for the receipt of consultation forms is 6 July. The form should ideally be completed online – click here to access the form.