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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Feb 1983

Vol. 339 No. 7

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Code.

367.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a working party was set up to examine the concept of dependency in the social welfare code and the problems that might arise in applying the principle of equal treatment to men and women in social security; if so, the members of the working party; its brief; if he will give details of the working party's report; and the reason its report was not published.

EEC Directive 79/7/EEC which was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 19 December 1978 provides for the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment as between men and women in matters of social security. A working party consisting of officials of the Departments of Social Welfare, Finance, Labour and Foreign Affairs was established to examine the practical problems that would arise in applying the principle of equal treatment in the context of the EEC Directive. It was never the intention that the report of the working party would be published as the then Minister for Social Welfare indicated in reply to a Parliamentary Question on 12 February 1981, Official Report 12 February 1981, Volume 326 Column 1794.

In this connection it is a common practice to have questions affecting more than one Government Department examined by interdepartmental working parties whose activities take place within the normal confines of Departmental business.

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