I propose to take Question Nos. 7, 39, 43 and 49 together.
The Minister hopes to get the approval of the Government shortly to enable the drafting of a comprehensive Bill which will replace the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act, 1974, and the Employment Equality Act, 1977. Ireland has a good record in relation to implementing our EC equality obligations and the machinery devised under our equality legislation has provided an effective means to obtain legal redress in instances of discrimination in employment. However, it is necessary to keep pace with EC developments and the changing nature of European Community law. The proposals to amend the legislation are intended to update and increase the effectiveness of the basic legislative provisions and to ensure that all statute law on employment equality can be found quickly and conveniently in the one Act.
The average industrial earnings of women are lower than those of men. A significant imbalance exists between male and female industrial earings, with women earning 68 per cent of the hourly male rate in June 1991. Deputy O'Sullivan's question was wrong in fact in that regard. This represents a major problem which requires our attention.
Some of the reasons for the persistence of sizeable male-female earnings differentials are well known. Women tend to occupy low profile, low paid jobs, are under-represented at supervisory and managerial level and in the highly technical professions. The Minister, in association with the Employment Equality Agency, has commissioned the ESRI to undertake a research study to determine more precisely the reasons for these differentials. The aim is to identify those factors which account for the wage gap, such as differences in education and experience and to isolate any residual factors which may be attributable to discrimination. It is hoped that this research will provide direction for future policy in this area.
While the Minister's plans to upgrade employment equality legislation and make it more effective are important, he attaches equal importance to improving access for women to a wider range of jobs and in creating the environment to make this possible.
In this regard several steps are being taken, particularly in the area of improved training and access to employment and positive action. The Minister is particularly anxious that positive action programmes are implemented in both the public and private sectors. To motivate employers to take action in this regard additional funding has been allocated to the Employment Equality Agency to undertake the equality focus award scheme in 1992.
The Minister is also monitoring positive action in public sector bodies and many organisations are implementing programmes of positive action based on organisational needs.
The Employment Equality Agency are actively continuing their work in the area of promoting positive action and earlier this month the Minister launched the agency's model equal opportunities policy, which is designed to assist employers and equal opportunities officers to develop and implement equal opportunities policies and programmes.