Written Answers. - Gender Equality.
Pat Rabbitte
Question:
14
Mr. Rabbitte
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the way in which it is intended to implement the commitment given in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness to mainstream gender equality issues across all operational programmes of the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15451/00]
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue): One of the objectives set by the Government under the national development plan is that the plan should support the achievement of equal opportunities between men and women. The goal of gender equality covers the whole plan including infrastructure and productive investment as well as the regional, human resources and peace programmes. The plan provides that project selection criteria must have regard to the equal opportunities objective and all statistical outcomes under the plan will be sex differentiated. Gender balance on monitoring committees is also an objective.
A special unit has been established within my Department to support all implementing Departments and delivery agencies to meet the equal opportunity objective in their programmes, measures and initiatives. This unit, the equal opportunities promotion and monitoring unit, will provide an advisory, training, and information service on issues relating to gender and the national development plan. It will also provide assistance to Departments in carrying out gender impact assessment of policy proposals drawn up in the context of the national development plan.
With the aid of EU technical assistance, my Department has recruited a gender equality expert with effect from 1 December 1999; contracted for gender disaggregated statistics across the plan; and organised a series of training programmes in Dublin, Waterford and Roscommon for officials who will be involved in implementing this process.
The gender disaggregated statistics will guide the development of gender indicators at measure level across the plan to support the monitoring and evaluation of gender equality outcomes over the life of the plan.
The Government has approved gender impact assessment guidelines to assist Government Departments and implementing bodies in assessing the gender impact of their proposals. The guidelines were developed from a model proposed in the Partnership 2000 report on gender proofing on which the social partners and a research team from NUI, Cork, had advised.
The guidelines contain three basic steps to assist in assessing gender impact of policies, namely, (1) outlining the current position of men and women in the expenditure area concerned; (2) identifying the factors which lead to women and men being affected differently; (3) where considered appropriate, proposing measures to address a differential impact.
The guidelines are available on my Department's website.
