Mr. Liam Herrick:

It is a provision in equality legislation which allows certain bodies with a relationship with religious institutions to be exempt from the general standards of equality legislation. A number of publications by the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission over a long period have highlighted the difficulty with this legislation, particularly with regard to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and family or marital status. A specific issue has been raised with regard to employment in schools which are religious institutions and exempt from the legislation. The Ministers for Education and Skills and Justice and Equality have identified this as a serious issue and it is referred to in the programme for Government. We understand Private Members' Bills have also been introduced on the issue. We appreciate its the urgency and very much want to play a positive role. It comes back to the capacity of the existing bodies which are very depleted.