“81 other countries in the world have it but the Irish government say no.”
Almost a week after Focus Ireland released a powerful new short film that captures how young people can slip through the cracks when they leave state care and end up homeless, calls have been made to make housing a constitutional right.
The Private Member’s Bill which was brought forward by the Solidarity and People Before Profit party was said to need more consideration by Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy.
According to RTÉ, Murphy’s failure to back the motion was deemed a “shameful decision of the Government to decide not to support a bill tonight to insert the right to housing into the constitution” by Richard Boyd Barrett.
Boyd Barrett was speaking at Wednesday night’s private members business debate where holding a referendum to insert this new article into the constitution was discussed.
He added: “81 other countries in the world have it but the Irish government say no, in the face of an absolutely catastrophic housing emergency.”
However, the bill will not be supported by the Government and although Murphy admitted that it was important that the issue was debated and that he wasn’t dismissing it, he believes it needs further discussion.
Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen agreed with Murphy and said that the bill should be delayed to allow the housing committee to consider the matter and stated that “the most important task for the government at the moment is not a referendum, it is ensuring that there is a supply of housing.”
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