Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 26:

In page 7, to delete line 6 and substitute the following: “6C(1); ‘socio-economic disadvantage’ means having disadvantaged social status or disadvantaged economic status, or both, that may be indicated by a person’s inclusion, other than on a temporary basis, in a socially or geographically identifiable group that suffers from such disadvantage resulting from one or more of the following circumstances:

(a) poverty;

(b) source of income;

(c) illiteracy;

(d) level of education;

(e) address, type of housing or homelessness;

(f) employment status;

(g) social or regional accent, or from any other similar circumstance;”,”.

This amendment is self-explanatory. It is a definition of socioeconomic disadvantage. Following on from our earlier discussions on the need for the Bill to be explicit in ensuring fairness and equity, there is a need for a definition of what disadvantage and socioeconomic disadvantage means, and the elements of it in terms of poverty, source of income, illiteracy, level of education, employment status or being a member of a disadvantaged group. This amendment would add to the Bill and strengthen it by ensuring the Government is in a position to ensure that climate action is delivered in a fair way.