asked the Minister for Finance the date on which the Commission on the Status of Women was set up; and if he has as yet received any indication when an interim report may be expected.
15.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Status of Women.
14.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state, further to his communication of June, 1970, to the Commission on the Status of Women asking for an interim report as soon as possible on the subject of equal pay, whether he has as yet received that report.
16.
asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that the marriage ban in the Northern Ireland Civil Service has been abolished and that since last August married women have been eligible for recruitment to and retention in the service; and if he will introduce similar measures in the Republic.
17.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will as an immediate step abolish the sex differentiated pay rates in the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Department of the Taoiseach.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose taking Questions Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17 together.
The Commission on the Status of Women was set up on 31st March, 1970. The commission has informed me that they are giving priority to the question of equal pay and that they hope to have an interim report on this subject completed by the middle of this year. The question of sex-differentiation of pay scales in the Civil Service is only one aspect of the problem of equal pay; the employment of married women in the Civil Service is part of the wider issue before the commission. These matters will be considered by the Government when the reports of the commission are available.