TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has sought to clarify comments he made about the care referendum during an interview last week. 

The Fine Gael leader accused Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald of misrepresenting what he said on The Six O’Clock Show in the Dáil today.

On International Women’s Day, on 8 March, voters will be asked to decide whether they want to accept changes to the Irish Constitution relating to the provision of care and a woman’s place in the home. 

Voters are being asked if they want to:

• amend Article 41 of the Constitution to provide for a wider concept of family (i.e. not one only based on marriage)
• delete Article 41.2 of the Constitution to remove text on the role of women in the home, and insert a new Article 42B to recognise family care

During an appearance on Virgin Media’s The Six O’Clock Show last Friday, Varadkar was asked about both referendums. 

In relation to the care referendum, presenter Katja Mia asked Varadkar: “The No voters have the argument that the wording almost let’s the State off the hook when it comes to taking responsibility for some of Ireland’s most vulnerable citizens – for example, Ireland’s disabled community. What would you say in response to that?”

Responding, Varadkar said there are “different views and there are different groups”. 

“Certainly Family Carers Ireland, which is the main group that represents carers, is supporting this. Disability groups, some are for it, some are against it, and some aren’t really taking a view on it,” he said.

“What it does is, it does something that I think is important, that it recognises that there is something special about family care and care within the family, but it very clearly says that it’s not just the family that is responsible because it’s there. The State has to strive to support that.

“Very often, the State will step in if somebody doesn’t have a family to look after them or if they need particular, very high-care needs.”

He continued: “My experience of life, and I’m sure it’s most people’s experience of life, my parents brought me up. They cared for me. When they’re old, I’m going to make sure they’re looked after. God forbid if something happened to either of my sisters, I’ll make sure that my nephews and nieces are looked after, that they’ve a home, they’ve an education.

“I don’t actually think that’s the State’s responsibility, to be honest. I do think that is very much a family responsibility, but families deserve the support of the State, and that’s really what this article will say, this new part of the Constitution.

“But that doesn’t preclude us from doing more for people who are disabled. A lot of people who I know who have disabilities, they want to be independent. They don’t want to be dependent on their family in any way and nothing, none of this change stops us from making that possible.”

A short clip of Varadkar’s comments about his own experience of being raised by his parents and his comment about the State’s responsibility has been widely shared on social media. 

Dr Laura Cahillane, a lecturer in Constitutional law at the University of Limerick, shared the clip and said the comment had been “a huge mis-step by the Taoiseach”.

She said it is feeding the narrative of those “arguing the amendment will place the responsibility of care on the family and is designed to absolve the State of any duty – when actually the amendment would do no such thing”.

“Legally, the amendment would symbolically recognise the importance and value of care provided in the home and would be very unlikely to lead to any legally enforceable duty on the part of the State – in the same way as the current provision does not actually place obligation on the State,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter. 

But it is certainly not 'placing the burden of care on families' - if anything the wording may be interpreted as being a slightly stronger duty on the State to try to support care than currently exists but ultimately the situation for carers etc will not likely change as a result

— Dr Laura Cahillane (@LaurCah) March 5, 2024

Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald raised the Taoiseach’s comments. 

“It is very much the business of the State to support those who need care and those who provide care. The Taoiseach’s recent comments in the media stating his position that the provision of care for vulnerable citizens is not the responsibility of the State are entirely wrong,” McDonald said.

“But of course they are very informative because they go some way to explaining why it is that carers have been so badly treated, left behind time and time again, and why so many find themselves burnt out and in a desperate lifelong battle with this system to simply get the basics that they need to provide the care that a loved one requires.”

Varadkar hit back, saying: “As always, the Deputy has misrepresented what I said.

“I said nothing at all about vulnerable people. I said that parents have responsibilities to their children; families have responsibilities to each other; and that care is a shared responsibility,” he said.

“It involves families and the State and it involves us all being involved in doing what is best and what is right for those who need care. I think any right thinking and reasonable person would agree.”

McDonald responded by saying: “That is not what you said.”