Jan O'Sullivan
Question:28 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when it is proposed to sign commencement orders under the Employment Equality Act, 1998. [20276/98]
Written Answers. - Employment Equality.
The Employment Equality Act, 1998, outlaws discrimination on nine distinct grounds — gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the traveller community. It also provides for the establishment of an infrastructure to support the development of equal opportunities policy and the enforcement of individual rights under both employment equality and equal status legislation.
Work is under way in my Department to put in place the infrastructure which will comprise the Equality Authority, to replace the Employment Equality Agency, and the office of Director of Equality Investigations, to provide a forum for redress of first instance. This work commenced without delay after the Act was passed and is on target.
The Act will begin to be brought into operation after the infrastructure necessary to support it is established, most probably in the first half of 1999.