Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:202 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the plans, if any, he has to establish an advisory committee on disability to work with the Equality Authority. [16629/98]
Written Answers. - Equality Authority.
The Employment Equality Act, 1998, empowers the Equality Authority, which is to be established under the Act, to appoint advisory committees to advise it on matters relating to its functions. Accordingly, the matter of appointing such a committee to advise on the issue of disability will fall to be examined by the Equality Authority in due course.
Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:203 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the funding, if any, that will be available to the Equality Authority in each of the years 1998 and 1999. [16630/98]
A sum of £2.1 million is being provided for the Employment Equality Agency in 1998. This amount incorporates funding for the EEA as it is currently constituted, £540,000, and an extra amount of £1.56 million in respect of additional staff and ancillary costs that are now required for the proposed new Equality Authority and the Office of the Director of Equality Investigations under the Employment Equality Act, 1998.
The level of funding for the Equality Authority for 1999 has yet to be determined in the context of the Estimates discussions.