asked the Minister for Local Government why the abatement of rates for agricultural workers and relatives assisting does not apply to females as well as to males.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural Workers' Rates Abatement.
12.
I would refer the Deputy to the provisions of section 8 (1) of the Rates on Agricultural Land (Relief) Act, 1939.
Is it not true that females working on the land do not qualify for abatement of rates under the section referred to by the Minister?
That is so.
Would the Minister not agree that this is blatant discrimination against women? In my constituency I know of two women agricultural graduates who are working on the land but who cannot qualify for the abatement. This blatant discrimination is outdated.
The Deputy should marry one of the women.
It is not discrimination against women but the number of females who would be solely employed in agricultural work would be negligible and it would be difficult to administer such a scheme since each local authority would have to satisfy themselves that such people were solely engaged in agricultural work and not in carrying out domestic duties.
The fact that the number of people concerned is negligible does not justify discrimination.
That is not to say that the number of applicants would be negligible.