There is a “genuine risk” that a referendum on removing a reference to the work of mothers in the home from the Constitution could be lost if it is not carefully worded, Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman has said.

At the Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality yesterday, Mr O’Gorman came under pressure from members to publish his department’s proposed wording for such a referendum question, with progress on the matter described as “glacial”.

The Minister said he was “unclear” as to how his department and the committee might engage on wording. He said at this stage any referendum “is potential” and that no date had been set, though he wanted one to be held next year.

“There is fairly broad acceptance and agreement we need to change the Constitution but what we are going to do is not agreed,” he said.

The newly-established committee is considering how to implement the 45 recommendations delivered by the Citizens’ Assembly on gender equality last April, the centre piece of which was that Article 41.2 of the Constitution should be deleted and replaced.