Referendum on gender equality this November

The people of Ireland are to be given the opportunity to vote on gender equality later this year.

A clause in the Irish constitution regarding a woman’s role in both the home and the workplace is “outmoded” according to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Article 41.2 contains a line that says “by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved” and “endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home”.

Both these clauses will be voted on in referendum that will be held in November.

It follows recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality and by an Oireachtas committee last year.

However, at this point it is not clear if other Bills will be added to the referendum.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, said he intended to publish the general scheme of one or more referendum Bills by the end of June.

The Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality issued 45 recommendations, including that Article 41.2 should be deleted and replaced with non-gender-specific language.

Homesavers, located at Unit 4, Mile Height Retail Park, Tralee was ordered "To cease the sale, packaging and/or processing of all food products on the premises" after a HSE inspection.

"I make this order being of the opinion that there is or is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at, in or on the said premises for the particular reasons set out in Part 2 of the Schedule," the inspector said.

Under the FSAI Act, 1998, a Closure Order is served where it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises; or where an Improvement Order is not complied with. Closure Orders can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the food premises, or all or some of its activities. In the case of the Homesavers store, only part of the premises was closed. It has since reopened. The inspector also reported evidence of non-compliance stating: "An Authorised Officer was prevented / obstructed from carrying out an inspection in order to fully determine the nature and extent of a pest infestation and the extent of any contamination of foodstuffs, after establishing during the inspection the presence of rodent droppings on the premises."

Five Closure Orders were served on Super Asia Food, Dublin, White Rabbit (restaurant/café), Dublin, Il Capo (takeaway) in Dublin, Cork Oriental Supermarket Ltd in Cork, the East Oriental Take Out in Dublin 8, Top Oil Gala, Dublin, Dook's Fine Foods (restaurant/takeaway) Tipperary, Gianny's (takeaway), Edenderry Co Offaly and one Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on Fish Seafood Deli Ltd in Skibbereen, Cork.