Vol. 463 No. 3
26 Dr. Woods asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the equality objectives he has for women; his priorities regarding these objectives; the time-frame for achieving these; the monitoring mechanisms he has in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6330/96]
My employment equality priorities for women centre on putting in place a range of legislative measures to strengthen equal pay and equal treatment provisions and to support reconciliation of work and family responsibilities.
The forthcoming Employment Equality Bill, which will be published shortly, will add to the Maternity Protection Act, 1994 and the Adoptive Leave Act, 1995, in this respect. In addition, a parental and family leave directive is under consideration at EU level which I hope will form a basis for Irish legislation on the subject.
Promotion of employment equality requires more than legislative measures. Accordingly, the stimulation of greater provision of childcare support for working parents and gender proofing of Structural Fund measures have been important concerns for my Department. The provision of childcare support is particularly important to facilitate working mothers to continue in or return to the labour market. Gender proofing Structural Fund measures seeks to ensure that women benefit from these programmes on the same footing as men.
I hope to publish the equal status Bill in the latter half of the year. This Bill will deal with discrimination on grounds of gender and on other grounds in non-employment areas. I intend to put a structure in place to follow up on implementation in Ireland of the actions agreed at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. My objective is that, before the end of the year, a report will be published on this. I monitor progress towards gender balance on State boards and my objective is to see the fullest implementation of this policy. My Department is operating the action for equality awards scheme, currently in association with RTE, to recognise and encourage good equality practices in Irish society, including in relation to gender.
All these objectives and activities are being implemented or advanced during the course of this Government. Their progress will be closely monitored by means of a number of monitoring mechanisms such as the Central Review Committee on the Programme for Competitiveness and Work and the Committee on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Second Commission on the Status of Women. The second progress report of the latter committee is due to be launched on 27 March.
Is the Minister aware that a recent ESRI study indicated that overall, women earn 80 per cent of the male hourly wage? As far as women are concerned, there is a 20 per cent deficit in wages of which 10 per cent is attributed to lack of experience and the shorter length of time working compared to their male counterparts. The remaining 10 per cent, which is totally unexplained, pointed to a definite discrimination against women in respect of wages. I understand the ESRI is examining this matter further to see if it can specify the problems. Will the Minister give his view on this matter and outline the progress he has made on the increased child care provision so that the playing field for women can be levelled?
I am aware of the ESRI report to which Deputy Woods refers and the comments made therein in connection with the differential that continues to exist. It is a complex question and there are many professional views on the reasons for the differential. Part of the differential is referable to the fact that the legislation from the mid-1970s needs updating and that is one of the reasons I set about updating it. Many improvements will appear in the new employment equality Bill which I hope will go a substantial way towards remedying some of the matters that need amendment and updating in the 1970s legislation. I am happy to confirm that the childcare initiatives are proceeding well. Some 73 applications were provisionally approved for funding subject to certain conditions specified by ADM, who administer the scheme. As a result of those grants, a considerable number of new childcare projects were set up throughout the country and are operating well. I have visited them and it is heartening to see the large numbers of children attending the childcare centres set up under the scheme. This has enabled many mothers, in particular, to avail of employment and education opportunities which they would not otherwise have had. Funds have again been provided for the scheme in 1996. ADM is examining applications which have been received for the current year. It has turned out to be a successful scheme. The take-up has been excellent and has exceeded my expectations. This is the type of scheme we have to provide and I hope it will be proceeded with on a permanent basis.
This will be a great Bill because every problem that arises will be resolved under it.
It will be a great Bill, it will be a landmark Bill.
The Minister will understand why these 20 organisations are so anxious to see the Bill, to have it up and running and their frustration because of the delay. He will be aware that in the manufacturing sector of industry the study showed that the disadvantage to women was as high as 30 per cent. What progress is being made in gender proofing the Structural Funds?
Much has been said here about the frustration in the organisations but one can overplay that line. Certainly, there is anxiety in the organisations to have the legislation brought in as quickly as possible and that is understandable. I have received every possible support and encouragement from those organisations in connection with this legislation. I have had meetings with many of the constituent groups who fully understand the work being done. As far as the Structural Funds are concerned, £7.7 million has been ring-fenced in the human resources operational programme for the period 1994-99 and is being put in place by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment. That was done as a result of ongoing consultations between myself and the Minister for Enterprise and Employment and is now an integral part of that operational programme. If Deputy Woods would like further details on how the Minister for Enterprise and Employment is operating, I suggest he table a question to him. That sum is secured and specifically written into the programme.
When the Minister hears from Opposition spokespersons about the anger and the frustration of the various organisations, we are only quoting what has been said to us. People who feel they are being discriminated against are anxious to have the protection of the law. From that point of view it is understandable that any delay to them seems inordinate and they are extremely concerned about it. What format does interdepartmental liaison on equality take? I have tabled a separate question regarding the implementation of the recommendations on the Second Commission on the Status of Women. Specifically in relation to Government Departments and Ministers what type of liaison is there in relation to equality measures? Is there a proactive approach rather than simply responding to various items of legislation? Is there a methodology by which the Minister can make Ministers more aware of gender equality in their Departments?
An interdepartmental group works on the implementation of the report of the Second Commission on the Status of Women. Its up-to-date report will be published on 27 March. It will be seen that considerable progress has been achieved on the implementation of the wide range of recommendations in that report. As far as upcoming legislation is concerned, the impact of any item of legislation on women is dealt with in memoranda on legislation to Government and the matter is monitored in that way.
