Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a quick follow-up to that. I should mention that I am also a member of the Joint Committee on Gender Equality. I know that we will be talking about gender mainstreaming and equality. We might look at the very good individual projects that are listed on pages 115 to 117, many of which specifically relate to supporting equality in the context of certain targeted groups Ms O'Loughlin mentioned. That general point around almost screening for inequality, something that is a bugbear of mine, relates to our committee in terms of, for example, tax reliefs and private pension tax reliefs, and the fact that the marginal rate for pension tax reliefs we have at the moment very largely benefits higher earners and men. This debate has happened in Scotland, where they have had equality budgeting for a period. As the Scottish Government has taken on more areas of independent policymaking from within the UK, however, there is that question of how equality budgeting and screening gets integrated into things like the financier. We are not just talking about public expenditure per se, although, actually, tax reliefs are public expenditure. We are not just talking about specific targeted measures to address inequality, however we are also looking at how to ensure that existing measures which have an unequal impact and which increase inequality are addressed. How is that being integrated into this next phase for the equality budgeting?