Vol. 490 No. 3
27 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many women do not have access to the live register and, therefore, are excluded from many training and educational opportunities; and the plans, if any, he has to eliminate this discrimination against women. [10050/98]
Access to a range of labour market opportunities, including training, education and employment programmes, is generally confined to those who are signing on the live register for a specified period of time. Access to the live register itself is available to both men and women who satisfy the conditions for receipt of unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance or who are entitled to sign for unemployment credited contributions.
There are programmes available for which attachment to the live register is not a requirement and female participation rates in those courses have increased significantly in recent years. However, I accept fully the principle that women who do not have access to the live register should not be penalised in relation to their access to labour market opportunities. In this regard, in accordance with a commitment given in Partnership 2000, a working group has been established to review the question of access by women to labour market opportunities with a view to improving gender equity.
The working group is chaired by my Department and includes representatives from the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation, the Irish Farmers' Association, the Congress Centres for the Unemployed, FÁS, the Employment Equality Agency, Aontas and relevant Government Departments. I expect the report of the group will be completed later this year and the Government will then consider what action needs to be taken on foot of the report.
