The Irish citizens assembly of 2016 examined several key issues facing Ireland. Held over two weekends, the assembly examined and deliberated how Ireland would best deal with the challenges and opportunities presented by Ireland’s ageing population.
The Citizens’ Assembly: How We Best Respond to the Challenges and Opportunities of an Ageing Population
Background of The Citizens’ Assembly
The Citizens’ Assembly was established by a resolution approved by the Irish Parliament in July 2016, following a commitment made by the newly elected government in its Programme for Government. Its work concluded in the late spring of 2018. The Assembly followed the model of the 2012–2014 Irish Constitutional Convention, comprising 99 randomly selected citizens and an independent chair, a Supreme Court judge. A major change to the previous model was the removal of politicians from the membership, which was probably the result of a tradeoff which saw abortion included in the agenda. The Assembly was tasked with considering five key issues: abortion, the challenges and opportunities of an aging population, fixed-term parliaments, the manner in which referenda are held, and how the state could position Ireland as a leader in tackling climate change. These topics were chosen partly due to Fine Gael’s election commitments, international pressure and negotiations between coalition partners (Farrell et al., 2019). It functioned with the same key principles as the Convention: openness, fairness, equality of voice, efficiency, respect and collegiality.
The Citizens’ Assembly was established by a resolution of the Irish Parliament in July 2016 (The Citizens’ Assembly, n.d.), following a commitment in the newly elected government’s Programme for Government (here). Its work concluded in late spring 2018. Modeled on the 2012–2014 Irish Constitutional Convention, the Assembly comprised 99 randomly selected citizens and an independent chair, a Supreme Court judge. A key distinction from the previous model was the exclusion of politicians from the membership—the result of a tradeoff that facilitated the inclusion of abortion on the agenda.
The Assembly was tasked with examining five key issues: abortion, the challenges and opportunities of an aging population, fixed-term parliaments, the conduct of referenda, and Ireland’s role in addressing climate change. These topics were influenced by Fine Gael’s election pledges, international pressures, and coalition negotiations. Meetings were livestreamed, and public submissions were invited (Farrell et al., 2019). The Assembly was originally expected to complete its work within a year of its first meeting; however, this deadline was extended in October 2017 and again in March 2018, ultimately concluding on 27 April 2018 (The Citizens’ Assembly, n.d.). The government formally responded to each of the Assembly’s reports.
The Assembly was funded by the Department of the Taoiseach, with total costs reaching €2,355,557 by March 2019 (Department of the Taoiseach, 2019). It operated under the same guiding principles as the Convention: openness, fairness, equality of voice, efficiency, respect, and collegiality.
An ageing population
Ireland, like many developed countries, faces the challenge of an ageing population. Projections indicate that the number of people aged over 65 will increase from 630,000 in 2016 to over 1.6 million by 2051 (CSO, 2018). This demographic shift poses significant implications for pensions, healthcare, housing, and social services. At the time of the Assembly's deliberations, older people in Ireland were more likely to experience poverty, social isolation, and barriers to independent living . These realities prompted urgent calls for policy reform and long-term planning. The Citizens’ Assembly sought to address these issues by identifying the challenges and opportunities presented by an ageing society and by formulating recommendations to promote dignity, autonomy, and inclusion for older people in Ireland.
Structure of the Convention
Membership selection
The Citizens’ Assembly was designed as a deliberative mini-public and consisted of 99 members who were selected randomly from the wider population. The selection process, conducted by the market research company RED C (RTE, 2016), was stratified across four demographic categories: sex, age, social class, and region. Recruitment involved door-to-door cold calling, ensuring that the final group reflected the diversity of Irish society. In addition to the primary members, 99 substitute members were also selected (Farrell et al., 2019).
Governance
Chairperson
The Chairperson was responsible for running the Convention and engaging necessary support services for its effective administration. As the main moderator, the Chairperson was selected by the Prime Minister (Taoiseach) and was independent. They had direction and control over the staff of the secretariat and other resources available, subject to the wishes of the Convention. The Chairperson also made recommendations on the management of business as needed.
Due to the controversial nature of the issue of abortion, the Citizens’ Assembly was chaired by a Supreme Court judge, protecting its deliberation and results from accusation of bias and safeguarding the impartiality of the proceedings.
Secretary and Secretariat
The Secretary and Secretariat were responsible for handling the logistics of the assembly, ensuring the smooth operation of the Convention. The assembly's secretariat was drawn from the Prime Minister’s (Taoiseach) Department.
Expert Advisory Panel
The Oireachtas resolution establishing the Assembly states that “an Expert Advisory Group will be established to assist the work of the Assembly in terms of preparing information and advice.” The Expert Advisory Group’s Terms of Reference are available here.
The main roles of the Expert Advisory Group included:
- Supporting the Chair and Secretariat in constructing a fair, balanced, and comprehensive work programme for the Assembly on each topic.
- Providing background expert advice on the issues being discussed.
- Advising on the criteria for selecting specialists/experts to appear before the Assembly.
- Recommending names for the specialists/experts to appear before the Assembly, for ratification by the Steering Group.
- Working with the Chair and Secretariat to select speakers from civil society and advocacy groups.
The composition of the Expert Advisory Group changed during the lifetime of the Assembly, adapting to the topics under discussion.
For its consideration of the ageing population, the Citizens’ Assembly convened an Expert Advisory Group that included academics and professionals with subject-matter expertise in gerontology, healthcare, and social policy. Notable members included Professor Des O’Neill, a consultant geriatrician, and Professor Eamon O’Shea, a health economist specialising in ageing. This panel played a key role in designing a balanced work programme, advising on expert presentations, and ensuring the Assembly received a comprehensive overview of the issues. The panel also helped identify and invite speakers from civil society, advocacy organisations, and service providers to provide diverse perspectives on the lived experiences of older people in Ireland.
Steering Group
Following the rules and procedures, a Steering Group was formed to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the Assembly, contributing to planning, coordinating logistical matters, and supporting the overall work programme. The group consisted of the Chairperson and a representative selection of Assembly Members, who were elected by their peers. Their Terms of Reference are available here.
Structure of plenary session
Proceedings
The Citizens’ Assembly met on 10–11 June and 8–9 July 2017 to deliberate on the topic of an ageing population. Over the course of these two weekends, members heard from 17 expert speakers across areas such as healthcare delivery, pension reform, housing design, and carers’ support. Testimonies from older people, advocacy groups, and care organisations helped members connect policy considerations with everyday experiences.
Members engaged in small-group deliberations after each thematic session, facilitated by trained moderators. In between sessions, members submitted feedback to guide the drafting of ballot questions. Public engagement also played a role in shaping the discussion: the Assembly received over 270 submissions from individuals and organisations, which were reviewed and summarised for members. The second weekend concluded with a structured voting process to determine the Assembly’s recommendations.
Public Submissions Process
As part of its commitment to public engagement, the Citizens’ Assembly invited submissions from individuals, organisations, and advocacy groups on the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population. The submissions window opened in advance of the June 2017 meeting, and the Assembly received over 270 contributions. These submissions reflected a wide range of perspectives, including experiences of ageing, caregiving, access to services, and policy recommendations. While all submissions were published online subject to editorial guidelines, a selection was summarised and shared with members to inform deliberations. The insights gathered from the public helped shape the Assembly’s discussions and highlighted the lived realities behind the issues being considered.
Voting and ballots
The final session of the Assembly on ageing culminated in a vote via secret ballot. The ballots were structured to reflect the key themes discussed over the two weekends, including support for independent living, statutory homecare, age-friendly housing, retirement flexibility, and carers’ rights.
Notable outcomes included:
- 100% of members voted in favour of introducing a statutory homecare scheme.
- 86% supported removing the mandatory retirement age.
- 88% recommended that the State Pension should reflect rising life expectancy and be paid based on need and social contribution.
- 99% supported prioritising universal design in housing policy to enable people to live independently as they age.
The voting was overseen by an independent returning officer, and results were published in full in the Assembly’s second report.
Recommendation and Government response
The Citizens’ Assembly submitted a report to the Government with the following recommendations:
- Implement existing ageing-related strategies: Urgently act on existing national strategies like the Positive Ageing Strategy, Carers Strategy, and Dementia Strategy.
- Shared responsibility for care: Recognise that families/older people hold primary responsibility for care, but the State should also play a role.
- Increase public funding for older people's care: Allocate more public resources to support ageing-related care services.
- Prioritise home care in funding: Direct additional care funding primarily to home care services and supports.
- Introduce a compulsory social insurance scheme: Fund long-term care through a dedicated social insurance payment similar to PRSI.
- Put home care on a statutory footing: Enact legislation to guarantee access to home care services.
- Expand regulation of care services: Extend formal regulation (currently applied to residential centres) to all health and care services for older people.
- Specify additional services for regulation: Include the following services in extended regulation:
- Respite services
- Day care services
- Home-based care and support
- Supported housing care services
- Introduce a mandatory supplementary pension scheme: Create a scheme to supplement the State pension.
- Remove pension age anomaly: Eliminate the gap where people must retire at 65 but only qualify for the State pension at 66.
- Abolish mandatory retirement: End the legal requirement to retire at a fixed age.
- Link State pension to average earnings: Benchmark the State pension against average wages.
- Simplify and clarify private pensions: Reform private pension schemes for greater transparency and efficiency.
- Backdate Homemakers Scheme to 1973: Extend the Homemakers Scheme to cover contributions from 1973 onward.
- Increase support for carers: Improve access to education, retraining, and pension benefits for carers.
- Strengthen ageing policy leadership and support: The Assembly recommended a series of measures to improve system coordination and rights protection:
- Appoint a dedicated Minister of State for Older People
- Establish a national information hub and awareness campaign
- Give older people a stronger voice in decisions about their care
- Provide stronger government leadership on ageing issues
- Promote intergenerational solidarity and support
- Enact adult safeguarding laws and commence the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015
Government response
The report on the ageing population was submitted to the Oireachtas in September 2017 and discussed in the Dáil and Seanad in October 2018. The government welcomed the recommendations and acknowledged the Assembly’s role in highlighting the urgency of ageing-related reforms.
While there was no single policy document implementing all the recommendations, several were reflected in subsequent government actions. These include the continued development of a statutory homecare scheme, provisions under the Sláintecare reform plan to promote community-based care, and a review of pension policy. The Assembly’s work continues to inform policy debates on ageing and has been cited as a model for citizen-led input into complex social issues.
