Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Ceist:256 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if legislation to give positive effect to the EU Directive on Racism will be introduced before July 2003 as required. [21582/03]
Written Answers. - EU Directives.
The purpose of the Race Directive (2000/43/EC) is to provide a flexible general framework for combating discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin in both the employment and non-employment areas.
Discrimination in relation to employment and in the supply of goods and services on grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, which includes race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origins, and membership of the Traveller community is already prohibited in Ireland following commencement of the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000. Ireland's legislation is already largely in compliance with the race directive.
Implementation of the race directive necessitates amendments to both the Employment Equality Act 1998 and to the Equal Status Act 2000. On 9 May 2003 the Government approved the drafting of the Employment Equality and Equal Status (Amendment) Bill, on a priority basis, to implement the race directive and also two further equality directives, namely, the Framework Employment Directive (2000/78/EC) and the Gender Equal Treatment Directive (2002/73/EC) which must be implemented by 2 December 2003 and 5 October 2005, respectively. Furthermore implementation of the directives necessitates amendments to legislation to provide for equality in relation to occupational pensions which will be dealt with by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in the Social Welfare Bill 2004.
The Employment Equality and Equal Status (Amendment) Bill is with the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting. It is intended to ensure that the provisions of the directives will apply to all nine grounds covered by the 1998 and 2000 Acts, where possible. Once drafted the Bill will be introduced as soon as possible.