asked the Taoiseach if the Government completed and returned the detailed questionnaire which was issued to all participating governments by the Preparatory Committee for the 1985 World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women; if the Government will publish their replies to the questions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - UN Decade for Women.
3.
This comprehensive questionnaire has been substantially completed and forwarded to the Secretary-General for the 1985 World Conference to review and appraise the achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women. A small amount of additional material will be furnished from my Department in the very near future.
It is not proposed to publish the questionnaire separately.
In accordance with usual United Nations practice the information contained in the questionnaire will form the basis of the report on the achievements of the decade to be presented to the 1985 conference, which will be generally available.
The Minister said that the questionnaire has been "substantially completed". Could she indicate what parts of the questionnaire have not been completed?
The information which has yet to be furnished relates to communications, industrialisation and rural development and I hope to expedite this within the next week.
4.
asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the progress the Government have made in implementing the recommendations contained in the Report of the Mid-Decade Conference on the United Nations Decade for Women held in Copenhagen in 1980.
Ireland's national report which will be submitted to the Secretary-General of the 1985 End of Decade World Conference will be a full study of progress made in implementing the recommendations contained in the Report of the Mid-Decade Conference held in Copenhagen in 1980, and indeed will report on the implementation of the recommendations for the decade as a whole.
The members of the committee established to prepare for the World Conference, representing both governmental and non-governmental groups, have furnished much useful information for incorporation in the finished report.
It is my expectation that the national report will be completed and forwarded to the Conference Secretary-General by mid-May, in accordance with UN guidelines.
Recognising that presumably the report will be very detailed could she give any indication as to what progress has been made towards the implementation of the objectives set out in 1975 and again in 1980?
I do not have any details at present but the report to which I referred in a previous question will contain all that information. I should like to remind the Deputy that this report covered a wide area of issues relating to women, such as migrant women, women in the Third World, childbirth, post-natal care, nutrition, equality of rights and so on. We will be able to present a very good report on the basis of the themes of the United Nations end of decade conference in terms of education, health and development.
To reduce the dimensions of the question, could the Minister say what specific steps have been taken by the Government since 1980 to implement or effect the action plan as they affect Irish women?
All this is contained in the report and it would take far too long for me now to identify the many areas in which progress has been made since 1980.
What areas?
The areas of education and health.
Could the Minister specify what has been done in the area of education to eliminate discrimination?
I refer the Deputy to the Programme for Action in Education and to proposals by the Minister for Education to eliminate sexism in education.
Could the Minister be more specific in regard to the proposals for education which have led to the elimination of discrimination against women which she has cited as part of the general report to the United Nations?
The Deputy should put down a separate question in that regard to the Minister for Education.
The Minister does not want to educate us.
5.
asked the Taoiseach if the Government have any plans to assist and encourage the participation of Irish women's groups in the United Nations World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women.
The Deputy asks about the official conference in July. I would point out that this conference is for Government delegations only — and Ireland will have a representative delegation attending.
Perhaps what the Deputy has in mind is the non-Governmental Forum taking place prior to the conference. I believe that the Council for the Status of Women who were grant aided to the sum of £80,000 this year will be making decisions on attendance of Irish women's groups.
In order to involve as many women as possible in activities to mark the year, I will be allocating funding to groups of women throughout the country to undertaken projects at local level.
The question I wish to ask may not be directly related to this specific point but it does relate to the whole question of the decade for women. In view of the huge area involved and the work which needs to be done, will the Government support a proposal that a second decade for women should be declared by the United Nations?
That proposal was made in 1980 but a decision has not yet been made.
Would the Minister indicate whether she feels that a second decade would be advisable in view of the fact that most of the work of the first decade has yet to be done? Very little progress has been made and, outside Ireland, there are still wide areas of basic discrimination against women. Does the Minister agree that it will take at least another decade to make progress in that area?
The consciousness that the conference created was worth while and productive. There are interest groups who believe we should be looking forward to and planning for the year 2000. There is validity in the suggestion made by the Deputy.
Before leaving these questions I should like to ask the Minister if we are the only European country which has not signed the United Nations convention and can the Minister assure the House that we will sign it this year?
The Deputy is late. We have dealt with Question No. 1.
I said "before leaving these questions". You need not be so rude.
If the Deputy has been here——
I was not speaking to the Minister for Finance.
Now that Deputy Cooney has taken on the Deputy's role he is determined to take on the Minister's role.
Talk about the bossiness.
I have to put up with it all the time.
It is the Deputy's turn next.
Before looking to the year 2000 we should consider the year 1985 and look at some obvious discriminations in our regulations.
Has the Deputy a question?
Yes. Is the Minister aware that in 1985 a male pensioner can qualify for ancillary allowances such as free electricity if his wife is living with him but a female pensioner is deprived of them if her husband is living with her? There are many such discriminations in our code at present. Has the Minister reviewed these and, if so, before we come to the year 2000——
That does not arise
Let the Minister answer.
It is clear discrimination.
It is very touching to see the concern we have had from the Opposition on issues relating to women. If from 1977 to 1981 we had more action and obvious concern, such as is now being expressed, I would have been very impressed.
Will the Minister address herself to the question I asked? I do not want to engage in argument. She must be aware of many such cases herself. Will she address herself to obvious discriminatory provisions like that one?
This does not have anything to do with Question Time.
It is not related to the last question.
It is related to all the questions.
It is out of order.
So much for discrimination if the lady in charge cannot do anything.