James Cox

A referendum on remote and proxy working must be seriously considered by Government in 2023, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Fine Gael equality spokesperson, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, was speaking following a sitting of the Gender Equality Committee, which has today produced its final report entitled 'Unfinished Democracy: Achieving Gender Equality'.

Ms MacNeill said: “Today’s report launch follows nine months of stakeholder engagement, and hard work by the Committee. This is an exciting opportunity and allows us to take a big step forward in terms of achieving real equality in Ireland.

“A recommendation within the report is a referendum on remote and proxy voting taking place within the lifetime of this Government. My own Private Member’s Bill, the Thirty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Remote Parliamentary Voting) Bill 2020, deals with exactly that and passed second stage in the Dáil earlier this year with cross-party support."

She added: “This was also a key recommendation of the Forum on a Family Friendly and Inclusive Parliament report last year.

“I look forward to this being a top priority for Government in 2023. The introduction of proxy parliamentary voting would make politics a more inclusive and family friendly career choice and ensure our parliament is more representative for the people of Ireland."