Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

In the Taoiseach's report on the Lisbon Agenda he stated that the ESRI had been commissioned to do a report on the graduate gender pay gap in Ireland. If the Minister of State has the information to hand and is in a position to answer my questions, that is well and good, but if not, I ask him to furnish the details subsequently. Has the report been completed and presented, and what are its findings?

The low paid and part-time employment sectors already show a pronounced imbalance between the sexes, with women predominating in both areas. Does the Minister of State agree that increasing the number of women employed in these areas is not an adequate response? Does he accept that the key in many cases is address of the child care issue and that additional measures need to be introduced to improve child care provision? I make no apology for saying that such measures, initially at least, must be biased in favour of families dependent on low incomes. A key needs to be produced that will open the poverty trap which denies women in such circumstances an opportunity to participate in the workforce if that is their choice.

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