Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I understand why the Deputy is trying to expand the reach of this legislation and the speed at which it will apply. However, it is important for the House to recognise the reasons it is designed in this way. The incremental application of the reporting requirement is deliberate and is based on consultations that were undertaken with both unions and employer representative groups. There was significant engagement across an 18-month period. There were written submissions, a symposium and then direct engagement with the employer and employee stakeholders. It was agreed to have the approach outlined here to allow smaller companies the time to learn from larger companies that have the capacity to undertake and publish the wage surveys already. Therefore, the regulations apply to those larger employers immediately and subsequently to smaller employers.

The Bill creates a significant new obligation for employers and it is important that they are supported in the implementation of this process. We want employers to recognise the gender pay gap in their organisations and take steps to address it. We believe it is counterproductive if employers are at risk of breaching their obligations simply if we try to accelerate the relevant timeframe.

I also draw the Deputy's attention to amendment No. 16, which shortens the time period for the review of the legislation from what was originally five years to now four years. We will hopefully have the opportunity to discuss it in more detail when we reach that amendment. That four-year period will give the opportunity for the first full cycle of reporting across this legislation. Many Bills these days contain a review-and-reporting clause and it is important for this legislation to have it.

However, I think the five-year period was probably too long. We are doing something new and innovative here. It is important that we take the opportunity to review it to see if it is functioning effectively and delivering a significant improvement in the gender pay gap. That is why I am proposing to reduce that from five years to four years. At that point, we will have the opportunity for a wider consideration of the impact of the legislation as it has operated. I do not propose to accept the amendments.

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