Dún Laoghaire): I move:
(1) That, for the purpose of facilitating consultation between the Houses of the Oireachtas and representatives of organisations concerned with the position of women in Irish society, a Select Committee consisting of 11 members of Dáil Éireann be appointed to be joined with a Select Committee to be appointed by Seanad Éireann to form the Joint Committee on Women's Rights.
(2) That the Joint Committee shall—
(a) examine or propose legislative measures which would materially affect the interests of women;
(b) consider means by which any areas of discrimination against women can be eliminated and by which the obstacles to their full participation in the political, social and economic life of the community can be removed;
(c) consider specific economic and social disadvantages applying to women in the home and bearing in mind the special nature of their contribution to the community, to recommend effective policy and administrative changes to help eliminate these disadvantages
and report to the Houses of the Oireachtas thereon.
(3) That the Joint Committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records and, subject to the consent of the Minister for the Public Service, to engage the services of persons with specialist or technical knowledge to assist it for the purposes of particular inquiries.
(4) That the Joint Committee, previous to the commencement of business, shall elect one of its members to be Chairman, who shall have only one vote.
(5) That all questions in the Joint Committee shall be determined by a majority of votes by the members present and voting and in the event of there being an equality of votes the question shall be decided in the negative.
(6) That the Joint Committee shall have power to print and publish from time to time minutes of evidence taken before it, together with such related documents as it thinks fit.
(7) That four members of the Committee shall form a quorum, of whom at least one shall be a Member of Dáil Éireann and at least one shall be a Member of Seanad Éireann.
(8) That the Report of the Joint Committee shall, on adoption by the Joint Committee, be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas forthwith, whereupon the Joint Committee shall be empowered to print and publish such Report together with such related documents as it thinks fit.
