I wish to signal to the Committee that I am considering amendments to this section in a number of areas. The following are two examples. Section 45(1) would essentially confine assistance by the authority to a person who had been a victim of discrimination, but this Bill allows a person who is not the victim to refer to a claim under section 21(1), although under section 21(3)(a) the complainant must have a sufficient interest in the subject matter.
Section 45(2)(a) only covers references in employment equality cases referred to the Director of Equality Investigations or the Labour Court. It omits mentioning references to the Circuit Court, which are possible in gender equality cases under the Employment Equality Bill. I wanted to signal that those matters may be under review on Report Stage.