Ms Eilís Ní Chaithnía:

On the gender pay gap, the National Women's Council of Ireland believes increases in the national minimum wage are essential. The issues of precarious work and low hour contracts are also very important. We welcome the Bill which has been brought forward by Senator Gerald Nash, although we have not yet analysed it in detail, but we are very happy, in principle, that such a Bill has been proposed. We can analyse it further and make our views known on it. We believe a significant amount of work is needed in this area. In dealing with the gender pay gap the issue of child care provision is crucial. As Ms O'Connor said, it is the major issue in dealing with the gender pay and pensions gaps. The pension system is based on the male breadwinner model. The provision of a universal, accessible child care service should, if properly resourced, help to reduce the gender pay gap.