Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Jul 1998

Vol. 493 No. 4

Written Answers. - Employment Equality Act.

Noel Ahern

Question:

154 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the measures, if any, taken with other Government Departments in relation to various regulations which can be regarded as ageist and are now outlawed under the Employment Equality Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16451/98]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The Employment Equality Act, 1998, when brought into force, will outlaw discrimination on grounds of age, and eight other grounds, in relation to access to employment, conditions of employment, equal pay for work of equal value, training, work experience and promotion, subject to certain limited exceptions. These exceptions allow age limits to be set: where there is clear actuarial or other evidence that significantly increased costs would arise if the age limits were not imposed, to take account of any cost or period of time involved in training a recruit to a standard at which the recruit will be effective in the job, or to take account of the need for there to be a reasonable period of time prior to retirement age during which the recruit will be effective in that job.

Recruitment in the public service is not a matter for my Department. However, I understand from my colleague the Minister for Finance that recruitment policy in respect of the Civil Service has been aligned with the terms of the Act. All recruitment to general service grades in the Civil Service will now proceed without upper age limits, apart from 65 years. However the Act's exceptional provisions may have some relevance to the professional and Departmental streams within the Civil Service, and I understand that the Department of Finance is consulting with line Departments so as to identify any Departmental or professional recruitment grades in which an upper age limit would be necessary in accordance with the Act.

As far as local authorities and health boards are concerned, age limits are a normal feature of recruitment at present. I understand from my colleague the Minister for the Environment and Local Government that the question of age limits is being reviewed at the moment in the context of the Act. My colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, has informed me that his Department will be making any necessary changes to current practice in health board recruitment in light of the legislation.