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

I apologise to Deputies Andrews and Wynne for my not being here to hear their initial speeches. I was at a Cabinet committee meeting. I was delighted that the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O’Brien, was able to speak on the Government side. I know the issue is one that he, like me, feels passionately about.

I thank the two Deputies for introducing this important legislative proposal. Both of them, along with Deputies Bacik and Gannon, have spoken about the need to reform and change our laws and broaden our recognition of the discrimination that exists. The equality legislation we brought in just over 20 years ago was really at the cutting edge at the time, which we should recognise. Others have spoken about those who helped shape it. However, the omission of the recognition that people are discriminated against on the grounds of accent or address was significant. The Government wants to address and solve that. We want to do it as part of broader recognition that our equality legislation, though really good, is over 20 years old and needs reform. That is why the approach I am seeking to adopt is to apply a time amendment to the Deputies’ proposal today and allow the Government to introduce broader reforming legislation - legislation that I am absolutely committed will include the ground of socioeconomic discrimination. The review we commissioned specifically called that issue out. It specifically called out the issue of who is currently protected under the gender ground.

It asks for people to submit other issues. I have been working with Senator Ruane, for example, on the issue of non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment cases. We hope to address that within the context of the legislation. Groups such as FLAC and a large number of NGOs working in this sector have made detailed submissions on other issues we can deal with in this legislation. I believe one reforming Bill that addresses and includes socioeconomic status as a new ground, but also includes other key areas, is the best way to go.

However, I am happy to work with both Deputies and, indeed, other Deputies on the entire Bill, but particularly the language around the issue of socioeconomic discrimination. Deputies and Senators know I am very open to working with them in trying to get the best language and most effective level of protection.

When I first came into this role, I met with a number of trade union representatives regarding their belief of the importance of getting socioeconomic status specifically enumerated as a tenth ground of discrimination and that is what we want to achieve. To give Deputies a sense of the process, the closing date for submissions was late last year. Officials in my Department have compiled a report examining the various themes and issues that were flagged in the submissions to the public consultation. We hope to publish that in a number of weeks and following that, we will look to start to design the heads of Bill, which will go through a pre-legislative scrutiny process and then be agreed by Cabinet before going through the legislative process.

I am happy to work with both Deputies on this particular ground. Working together, we can ensure we add socioeconomic discrimination as a new ground to equality legislation but also undertake a wider and much-needed refreshing and hopefully even re-energising of that legislation to make it fit for the 2020s.

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