The Constitutional Convention has submitted its second report to the Government. It recommends amending, rather than deleting, Article 41.2 of the Constitution, which currently refers to women in the home.

The report reflected the recommendation of the Convention’s meeting in February that the article be made gender neutral to include other carers in the home, and beyond the home.

The Convention also recommended that the State should offer a ‘reasonable level of support’ to ensure that carers ‘shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour’.

This was in line with the recommendations of submissions from the Iona Institute and Curam, which advocates for carers in the home, both of whom argued for the amendment as against the deletion of the article.

Eighty eight percent of the delegates were in favour of changing the article, while only 11pc believed that the article should be left as it is.

The vast majority of delegates, 98pc, were in favour of making the clause gender-neutral, with only two percent opposed, while 62pc believed that the clause should refer to carers outside the home, with 37pc opposed to this.

Delegates were also asked what level of support the Constitution should oblige the State to provide to carers.

The largest number of delegates, 35pc, said that the new article should oblige the State to “Provide a reasonable level of support, while 30pc said the new article should say that the State “Shall support” carers. A further 20pc said that the clause should ask the State to “Endeavour to support” carers.

The Convention also dealt with the wider question of gender equality in the Constitution. Delegates were asked whether the Constitution should be amended to include an explicit provision on gender equality.

Sixty two percent were in favour of such a change, with 37pc opposed.

However, delegates were much more evenly split on whether the Constitution should be amended to “place a duty on the State to take positive action to enhance women’s participation in politics and public life”.

Fifty percent of the delegates opposed this idea, while 49pc were in favour and one percent had no opinion.

Following the formal submission of the Convention’s report to the library of the Houses of the Oireachtas today, the Government must hold a Dáil full debate within four months to address these issues.

If the Government agrees with any of the Convention’s recommendations, then it must also include a timeline for a referendum.

The next meeting of the Convention on the Constitution will take place on the 18th and 19th of May at which members of the Convention will look at the Dáil electoral system and the way in which we elect our politicians.