Colette Kelleher

Independent Senator Colette Kelleher made the remarks ahead of the publication of a new report tomorrow, which will explore how the constitutional right to property is contributing to the housing crisis.

The right to private property is firmly established in the Constitution, with the caveat that it should be regulated by the principles of social justice and reconciled with the needs of the common good.

The new report, setting out research by the Oireachtas Library & Research Service, will examine the instances in which the constitutional right to property has been invoked in debates on housing legislation in the Oireachtas, as well as the role of the Attorney General in these instances.

Senator Kelleher, a member of the joint Oireachtas committee on housing, planning and local government, said: “Housing is the single biggest domestic issue of our time, and we need radical and innovative measures to properly address it.

“The research I’m publishing tomorrow points to a need to reform our Constitution, amongst other measures. The current constitutional protections for private property rights are ambiguous, obstructive, and are contributing to the housing crisis.”