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THE GOVERNMENT’S WEBSITE for the Children’s Referendum, ChildrensReferendum.ie, is now completely offline.
A spokesperson for the Department of Children told TheJournal.ie that the decision was made not to have the site online following yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling that the site, which was published by the government in September, was in breach of the terms of the 1995 McKenna ruling.
Yesterday, the website was taken offline within an hour of the Supreme Court ruling, but then restored in the evening with most of its content removed.
It contained only the text of the proposed new article 42A. However, the site has since been completely taken offline.
The Supreme Court had upheld a challenge against the informational site set up by the government, as well as a booklet distributed by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, on the referendum. It found yesterday that the government had “acted wrongfully” in spending money on a website which was “not fair, equal or impartial”.
The challenge came from Dublin resident Mark McCrystal.
While delivering the ruling, Chief Justice Susan Denham said she did not consider it “either appropriate or necessary” to grant an injunction ordering the government to remove the website, however.
Voting on the referendum will take place tomorrow, Saturday, as scheduled.
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Million percent right..
Ireland, where the tourists rent houses and residents live in hotels.
Never again?
@Ciaran Whyte: “Let’s pretend that no Hotelier backer Lobbyists have asked me to make these demands today!”
There isn’t an ‘oversupply’ of air bnbs. If there was , they wouldn’t be profitable and they wouldn’t exist. The demand is there. There’s an undersupply of long-term housing.
@David Law:
The demand WAS there, Paul, pre Covid-19!
Now Dublin, our other cities, and indeed locations all over Country, have hotels that are almost boarded up, 000’s of staff on short-time or made unemployed due to a global pandemic that is showing no sign of relenting.
The Min should consider parking a decision on AirBnB, banning it altogether from our Cites for 3 yrs or so, and allowing hotel sector recover once global Tourism shows signs of sustainable recovery.
Implementation of this plan over a three year window would allow the Dept of H take stock – so to speak – towards a fuller understanding of the marketplace in our cities, when C-19 dust finally settles.
New trends need evaluation; home working, seniors selling up, EU workers returning home.
Kick for touch Minister!
Seriously, on Christmas eve?? Give it a break for a few days at least. Happy Christmas everyone
@Paul Dolan: People who were homeless yesterday, and who will still be homeless tomorrow, will not magically be not homeless on Christmas eve, Paul. I hope you’ll have a nice warm dry bed tonight. I will, but I never forget that not everyone has.
@Fachtna Roe: I do indeed and for your information, I donated to a charity that is involved with homeless. My comment was targeted at the journal to give it a rest on xmas eve. Happy Christmas
@Paul Dolan: my home is a Airbnb and I have two homeless people here for Christmas to try and help, actually they are here every other week for a meal / shower / bed. Why the f is everyone picking on Airbnb rather than TripAdvisor Expedia etc etc… happy Christmas
@Paul Dolan: Christmas Eve is probably more important than ever to highlight this.
@Paul Somers: AirBnB MADE this market. That’s why the catch the most ire.
Let the Minister understand that the short term letting AirBnb will exacerbate the already disgraceful Housing Crisis. Citizens are more important than tourists
My home (my house) is a Airbnb, I live here and depend on hopefully some income to pay the bills (no customers since March) , I can not nor could apply for any income support. I have nothing.
Can someone please pick on Bord Failte, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Booking.com or someone else for a change.
For any bully boy tactics by politicians they should look in their own green house before throwing stones.
@Paul Somers: I have no issue with people operating an airbnb. Only as long as they have planning permission to do so. Why should a business such as a proper B&B pay huge money for PP, fire certs, disabled access, rates etc when someone next door to them can, in a regular house, with no overheads, compete against them. It’s wrong, simple as.
@Paul Somers: if you can’t afford to keep up your mortgage payments, then sell up and rent somewhere else. It’s what everyone else is doing, why can’t you?
@Laura McCarthy: I do
Hospitality lobby pays politician to further curtail your rights over your own property.
@Notes are notes: You have the right to use your *residential* property for *residential* purposes. You do not have any constitutional right to run a low rent hotel in your home, nor should you.
@Notes are notes: if you want to operate your property as a commercial enterprise then get planning permission and pay rates, etc
@Notes are notes: no, sorry, you missed the boat on that one. There’s these things called “regulations” you see. See also: “your fellow citizens”. Life is not a free ride in which you can just do whatever the hell you want. Merry Christmas!
We don’t need more regulations. All we need is increase supply of housing and leave the short term letting market alone
@The Man: if you’re using a residential property for short term lets then you should be paying commercial rates and water charges like every other business.
@The Man: “You’re de Man” …. increase the supply of housing not attack AirBnB – daft stuff.
Parents should support this call for a Referendum asap … or watch their kids in Rent slavery for a very long time into the future.
https://www.change.org/p/irish-referendum-on-family-home-special-status/dashboard
How about the insurance company’s buddy……ohh wait they lobby and contribute
Why do we not encourage and promote long term letting with rent freezes for renters and tax breaks for landlords – as they do in Europe. 50 year leases and more.
@Peter Byrne: home “ownership” is a scam
Typical of our politicians to regulate where it’s not needed and ignore areas that desperately need regulation. The housing crisis is not down to Airbnb and all this will do is damage tourism.
And Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Green Party pigs will fly….
Lies,ies lies lies lies, *in the tune of Rihanna work work work work*
Good idea just some years too late. But better late as usual than never
I have no issue with people operating an airbnb. Only as long as they have planning permission to do so. Why should a business such as a proper B&B pay huge money for PP, fire certs, disabled access, rates etc when someone next door to them can, in a regular house, with no overheads, compete against them. It’s wrong, simple as.
Hmmmmm
have your say