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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 13 Jun 1995

Vol. 454 No. 3

Written Answers. - Recommendations of Commission on the Status of Women.

John Ellis

Ceist:

80 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare the way in which he is undertaking to gender-proof initiatives undertaken by his Department; and the action, if any, he has taken to address those recommendations of the Second Commission on the Status of Women which relate to his Department and remain outstanding. [10625/95]

I am satisfied that men and women are treated equally in relation to access to all social welfare schemes and services. All initiatives undertaken by my Department are gender-proofed as a matter of course.

The Second Commission on the Status of Women was established by the Government in 1990 with, inter alia, the following terms of reference: (i) to review the implementation of the recommendations of the First Commission on the Status of Women as set out in that commission's report to the Minister for Finance in December 1972 and (ii) to consider and make recommendations on the means, administrative and legislative, by which women will be able to participate on equal terms and conditions with men in economic, social, political and cultural life and, to this end, to consider the efficacy and feasibility of positive action measures.

The commission presented its full report to Government in 1993. The report contained 210 individual recommendations, covering a wide range of issues in the public, private and personal spheres. Since then a monitoring committee was set up to oversee the implementation of the commission's recommendations. My Department is represented on that committee. In addiion, an interdepartmental group, representative of those Departments into whose remit the bulk of the commission's recommendations fall, was also established.
The monitoring committee produced its first progress report in May 1994 and the report records progress made in implementing the commission's recommendations up to 1 March 1994. The main recommendations relating to my own Department where substantial progress has been made cover issues such as: the improvements made in the means-test arrangements for lone parents; the launch of the household budget scheme in 1993; the funding of mens' groups which was undertaken for the first time in 1994; funding of locally based womens' groups was increased to £1.4 million in 1994, well over the £1 million recommended by the commission; the more established womens' groups are now being core-funded for a three year period; dental benefit for dependent spouses was introduced in 1987.
The progress achieved on these issues and the other recommendations of the commission appropriate to my Department is outlined in the report.
Since the report was produced, further progress has been made in a number of important areas as recommended by the commission. The 1995 budget has provided for up to 20 years credits for carers of children up to 12 years of age or while caring for an elderly or disabled person. A new health and safety benefit for women at work was introduced in October 1994. Adoptive benefit has been introduced with effect from 19 April 1995. A new unified lone parents scheme is being prepared by the Department which will apply equally to men and women. Under the Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill spouses of either gender will have their pension entitlements protected in the event of divorce.
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