Oireachtas

Employment Equality Bill must be extended to state bodies, TDs says

PLEAS to extend the Employment Equality Bill to state bodies such as the Garda and Defence Forces were made by a number of deputies…

By DERMOT KELLY and MICHEAL O'REGAN
Thu Oct 24 1996 - 01:00

PLEAS to extend the Employment Equality Bill to state bodies such as the Garda and Defence Forces were made by a number of deputies.

Mr Noel Dempsey (FF, Meath) said there was no excuse for exempting such bodies from the terms of the Bill. "Nobody should be able to point a finger at the Government and say, `You are making one set of rules for yourself and another for us'. That kind of thing has to stop. It is bringing she whole public service into disrepute.

State bodies would always claim they were in a special position, but the same arguments could apply to the private sector. The Minister should go back to the state bodies and tell them they would be brought within the scope of the Bill.

Mr Michael Kitt (FF, Galway East) said that, unless there was a very serious security reason to justify their exclusion, all state bodies should be covered.

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Ms Frances Fitzgerald (FG, Dublin South East) referred to the section excluding schools and hospitals run by religious bodies from the requirement not to discriminate on religious grounds so that these bodies could preserve the "ethos" of their institutions.

If the appointment was for a teacher of religion that was understandable but she put a question mark over the right to have a blanket exclusion. The issue should be further debated at committee stage.

The Bill was an important step towards ending discrimination but much more needed to be done to provide gender equality, and she called for a start to be made in the Budget.

Mr Tommy Broughan (Lab Dublin North East) said the Bill marked "a great day in Irish history" in moving to end discrimination.

The Association of Secondary Teachers had reservations about the exclusions on religious grounds. Young teachers in particular found it very hard to get a start in their careers and they felt that discrimination could be operating against them.

Much needed to be done to end discrimination against women. Only 13 per cent of Dail deputies were women compared with 45 per cent in Scandinavia, where parliaments more closely reflected the population.

Mr Pat Gallagher (Lab, Laois Offaly) said the exclusion on religious grounds needed clearer end up in court, making a great deal of money for lawyers.

The Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor, said he had widespread consultations about the Bill but was still open to amendments at committee stage. The second stage was passed and the Bill was referred to a Dail committee.