Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: “Dáil Éireann resolves that the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 be deemed to be read a second time this day 18 months, to allow for time to further examine the introduction of 'disadvantaged socio-economic status' as an additional ground in the Equality Acts in the context of the Review of Equality Acts currently under way in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.".

I thank the sponsors of the Bill for providing us with the opportunity to debate this important issue, namely, the proposed introduction to the Equality Acts of a new ground of discrimination on the basis of socioeconomic disadvantage. This is a significant proposal in an area of particular interest to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and to me, and we very much appreciate the efforts made by the Deputies to have the Bill brought forward to Second Stage.

As they will be aware, the proposed introduction of a new ground of discrimination on the basis of socioeconomic disadvantage has been the subject of two previous Private Members' Bills, namely, the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 and, more recently, the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017. This proposal, therefore, has been the subject of much interest and debate over recent years. I am glad to say the programme for Government in 2020 included a specific commitment to examining the introduction of a new ground of discrimination based on disadvantaged socioeconomic status to the Employment Equality and Equal Status Acts. I commend the work of the #Addthe10th campaign on raising this issue of discrimination on socioeconomic grounds in the public consciousness.

We can all agree discrimination on the basis of disadvantaged social origin or disadvantaged socioeconomic status is unacceptable. The links between poverty and discrimination are well documented, and discrimination on the basis of socioeconomic status has been frequently raised by individuals and organisations working in the field of equality law. The pursuit of a just and more equal society through the development and adoption of equality legislation is a goal that unites all parties and individuals in this House.

The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I very much welcome the bringing forward of the Bill before us. It is our view that in time the proposed new ground could promote a more sophisticated, intersectional approach to discrimination and lead to a greater recognition of the multiple forms of discrimination unfortunately faced by many in our country today. However, as the Deputies are aware, past attempts to achieve the same have been held back by difficulties in defining terms such as "socioeconomic status" or "disadvantaged socioeconomic status" with the degree of clarity and lack of ambiguity necessary for the Statute Book. Having said that, it is very clear that the proposer of the Bill has put a lot of thought and work into addressing earlier problems and into drafting a new definition used in this Bill. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, wishes to commend the Deputy for that work. It is appreciated that this was not an easy task but the work of the Deputy will be of great assistance in the ongoing consideration of this important issue.

As I said, the programme for Government includes a commitment to examine the introduction of disadvantaged socioeconomic status as a discrimination ground in the Equality Acts and consideration of this commitment forms part of the review of Equality Acts which is currently under way in the Department. The proposed changes to the legislation require careful consideration and the development of detailed proposals. The ongoing review of the equality Acts addresses the inclusion of socioeconomic status as a ground for discrimination and a significant number of submissions dealing with disadvantaged socioeconomic status were received during the public consultation stage of the review.

The commitment in the programme for Government to examine the introduction of a new ground of discrimination based on disadvantaged socioeconomic status in the equality Acts reflects the growing understanding that including the ground of socioeconomic status would serve the objectives of equality legislation by better recognising the lived experience of discrimination. The objective of the review is to examine the operation of the equality Acts to assess their effectiveness with regard to those taking claims under their redress mechanisms. Therefore, examining protections for people who are discriminated against based on disadvantaged socioeconomic status is an important step in addressing intersectional discrimination and understanding how discrimination is truly experienced in our society.

The review is also examining the degree to which those experiencing discrimination are aware of the legislation and whether there are practical or other obstacles that preclude or deter them from taking action. As part of the review, a public consultation was carried out during the period of July to December 2021 and, as I said, a significant number of submissions received relate to support for the introduction of a new ground of disadvantaged socioeconomic status. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, intends to publish a report summarising the submissions shortly and further consultation is planned. The Minister expects to bring forward a number of legislative proposals arising from the review later this year.

The purpose of the motion is to provide time for the continuation of the examination of this issue in the context of the broader review of the equality Acts. This will allow for further detail and necessary policy consideration of the issues and for the identification of potential unintended consequences of legislating in this area. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is very conscious of the amount of work and research carried out by the Deputy on this issue. This is reflected in the Bill that has been brought forward today. The Minister has indicated that he would very much welcome the opportunity to work more closely with the Deputy in advancing the new equality legislation which is expected to emerge from the review of the equality Acts.

See this speech in context