Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in. Many questions have been asked but I have a few general questions to help reflect on the importance of this issue. According to the World Economic Forum, it would take until the year 2186 to close the current pay gap globally. This type of legislation is being introduced in more and more jurisdictions. It is of value and all speakers have reflected that in and of itself, it is not a silver bullet or anything like that. The gender gap within individual companies will not necessarily capture the gender gap that exists within society as a whole. There could be a large childcare provider with a favourable male-female balance in terms of pay but that does not reflect the fact that childcare workers are very low paid in general in the context of society as a whole. There are numerous elements such as that.

While I take on board the points that were made on part-time work, nobody is making the argument that people should not have the option of part-time work. If it is the case that disproportionate amount of women rely on part-time work when they would rather not, as compared with men, that is also a problem that must be addressed. In the same way that there are narratives around reporting pay gaps in companies, perhaps an organisation such as the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, could produce a narrative on the gender gap within society as a whole, across all employers. Perhaps there is some scope within the legislation for that.

I have looked at the scheme and while this point may be addressed within it, I have not seen it. Agency workers could be a potential way around it for employers who do not necessarily want to comply. Is it the witnesses' understanding that an agency worker should be reported as part of the agency's responsibility to report on the gender gap or is it the responsibility of the place of employment where the workers are located?