Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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It is interesting for us to know the ICTU position in respect of recommendation 19 to introduce a universal State pension. We may delve further, therefore, into the rationale the assembly had for coming up with the recommendation.

I do not see any other colleagues indicating. I have some questions, so I will take up the next slot. I thank the witnesses for the broad array of issues they have covered in response to the queries of colleagues. We can see the high level of engagement we have among the membership of the committee, notwithstanding that many of them are also on other committees with parallel hearings today, including the Committee of Public Accounts and the British-Irish forum. I apologise to the witnesses that members have not been able to attend.

I want to raise a number of issues, one of which is the gender pay gap. As Mr. Joyce said it is an area in which I have a real interest. The Bill I produced had a different mechanism in it. I am very interested in the Act that will be coming into effect. Like Mr. Joyce, I am disappointed that we still do not have quite a sufficient level of detail as to how it will be implemented. I want to follow up on the more detailed recommendations about the gender pay gap and how gender pay gap audit systems would evolve.

Are there good models elsewhere as to how we can audit progress? How can we ensure action will be taken on foot of disclosures of the gender pay gap? I have looked at models elsewhere, in Australia, Britain and so on, to see how it is done. It is crucial to ensuring the legislation will be effective. How can we build on the legislation to make progress on narrowing the gap?

One of the issues relates to the living wage and one of ICTU's comments, which was helpful, concerned how the gender pay gap will decline when Ireland increases its minimum wage to 60% of the hourly median, which is a helpful approach in itself.

I was taken by our guests' submission on the work-life balance privilege gap, that is, the vast gap between those who can work remotely and those who cannot, which was very important earlier during Covid. How can we best address that? I am looking at the citizens' assembly recommendation No. 36, concerning a statutory right to reasonable access to flexible working. Our guests pointed out that in our peer countries in the EU, there is a recognition that flexible working does not just mean remote and there are flexi-time and part-time job shares, split shifts and so on. How can we ensure that is done? The assembly is looking for a statutory right; how can we build that into legislation most effectively?

Colleagues have talked about the domestic violence leave provision. While this is not specifically referred to in the assembly recommendations, it could be encompassed under the domestic and sexual and gender-based violence recommendations. I also have a Private Member's Bill before the Seanad on reproductive health-related leave, which, like the domestic violence Private Member's Bill, builds on the Organisation of Working Time Act and has a similar provision regarding the right to time off work for early miscarriage and for reproductive health-related treatments. The Bill was prompted by Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, work, with Alison Gilliland and her INTO colleagues surveying members to find that this was badly needed, not least in a highly feminised sector such as primary teaching. Our guests might comment on that.

Finally, there was a recommendation that parental and maternity leave, and family benefits in general, be paid as a percentage of earnings, and I am very interested in that. It is not covered specifically in the assembly recommendations but I am interested by our guests’ suggestion that that would be the most effective way of encouraging stronger take-up, by men and women, of family leave provision.