The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, has called on the government to create a new senior office: a minister for the family.

“We just had that [family and care] referendum back in March in which the people of Ireland resoundingly said that family, motherhood and, by connection, home are important to them,” Martin said in an interview with the Sunday Times.

“If we are rebranding the government for a new mandate, why not have a ministry dedicated to the family?”

He added that the referendum result showed that the Irish people were opposed to attempts to “downscale” the societal value of mothers.

The minister’s portfolio should include devising strategies to better support carers, lone parents and motherhood, he argued.

“The family founded upon marriage is fundamental in this country, and the people said that very clearly and unequivocally in the referendum. So why not now name it and invest our time, our energies, our resources into supporting family and marriage and mothers?”