Vol. 310 No. 9
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will make a statement on a recent meeting with the social affairs council of the EEC with particular regard to the proposed EEC directive on equal treatment for men and women in the sphere of social security.
94.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the cost of implementing the proposed EEC directive on equal treatment for men and women in the sphere of social security; the general effect this directive will have on the social welfare services; and if he is satisfied that his Department are prepared for its implementation.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 94 together.
The Council of Social Affairs Ministers meeting in Brussels on 27 November 1978 approved a directive containing proposals submitted by the Commission of the European Communities for the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security.
The directive applies to statutory schemes which provide protection against sickness, invalidity, old age, accidents at work and occupational disease and unemployment.
The principle of equal treatment means that there shall be no discrimination on grounds of sex, either directly or indirectly, by reference in particular to marital or family status, in the schemes to which the directive applies. This concerns in particular the scope of the schemes and the conditions of access to them, the obligation to contribute and the calculation of contributions, the calculation of benefits including increases due in respect of adult and child dependants and the conditions governing the duration and continuance of entitlement to benefits. Matters relating to certain aspects of these schemes are, however, on the proposal of the Commission, excluded for the time being from the scope of the directive. Examples of such exclusions are the age at which old age or retirement pensions may be granted and the granting of increases of old age or invalidity benefits for a dependent wife.
A period of six years is allowed under the terms of the directive for its implementation. Within that period member states must take the necessary measures to ensure that any laws, regulations and administrative provisions contrary to the principle of equal treatment are abolished.
The areas in the social welfare code where discrimination exists are confined mainly to the entitlements of married women. A lower rate of unemployment benefit, disability benefit, invalidity pension and occupational injuries benefit is payable to married women than to other beneficiaries. Furthermore, the duration of the payment of unemployment benefit to married women is limited to 156 days as compared with 390 days for other beneficiaries. It is more difficult for married women to qualify for unemployment assistance than it is for married men and it is also more difficult for married women to qualify for increases of benefits in respect of dependents in the case of all benefits. In the area of contributions, the rates payable by women generally at present are lower than those paid by men. This difference will, however, disappear from next April when the proposed new scheme of pay-related contributions, which applies equally to men and women, comes into operation.
At present rates of benefits it is estimated that implementation of the directive would cost at the very outside some £35 million a year. However, the actual cost will depend on the changes to be made in the various schemes and may indeed be much less. Until the necessary changes have been determined, firm figures of cost cannot be calculated. The fact that the changes may be brought in over a period of six years will enable the rise in cost to be spread over a number of years.
In conclusion, I can assure the Deputy that the Government are fully committed to the implementation of the provisions of the directive and I hope that it will be possible to have all the necessary measures taken well within the time scale laid down.
