Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The reason I put down this question is due to the significant concerns at NUI Galway where four female lecturers have taken gender equality cases, three of whom have taken High Court cases and one who has gone to a tribunal. Professor Pat O’Connor, from the University of Limerick, an expert in gender equality, has turned down an invitation from the task force to advise it on gender inequality in third level institutions.

The task force has been given the power to establish its own terms of reference, which, in my opinion, is a mistake. They should have been done independently and given to the task force. The terms of reference have been criticised by IFUT and SIPTU, which give full backing to the female lecturers in NUI Galway. Has the Minister seen the terms of reference? If not, why not? Will she also comment on the composition of the task force itself, which Professor Pat O'Connor has said is not made up of people with expertise in the area of gender equality?

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