Results 3,021-3,040 of 11,441 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: Apologies have been received from Senators Pauline O'Reilly and Alice-Mary Higgins. We welcome Senator Lynn Ruane who is substituting for Senator Alice-Mary Higgins. Members have the option of being physically present in the committee room or joining the meeting via Microsoft Teams from their Leinster House offices but they may not participate in the meeting from outside the parliamentary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Tánaiste. I will take members in the order they indicated. I call Deputy Carroll MacNeill.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: Has Deputy Carroll MacNeill any follow-up questions? She has a little more time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: We often have questions that are somewhat beyond the remit that witnesses are asked to address. We usually ask for a written follow-up in such cases. We are conscious that, even within the 45 recommendations, there is such a broad remit regarding gender equality.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: We can have one, depending on time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: We can seek clarification on that. A number of members wish to come in. We will send the Tánaiste a copy of the interim report in which we recommended alternative wordings for the constitutional change. We have sent it to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, but in light of Senator Ruane's question, we will also send it to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Senator. We will give the Tánaiste a bit of leeway on time because there were a number of issues. We produced an interim report on recommendations Nos. 1 to 3 related to the constitutional referendum, so Senator Ruane's question was pertinent to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: In recommendation No. 34, the Citizens' Assembly seeks to align the minimum wage with the living wage by 2025. That is the recommendation on which we are focused.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Minister for the point he made about IGEES, which we may follow up on. There is a specific recommendation on gender budgeting from the Citizens' Assembly that we must look at. We may come back on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: We are straying beyond the remit of this committee but a Seanad reform blueprint is available.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: Extensive reform is possible, even within the confines of the Constitution, but perhaps we will return to the remit of this committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: When we had ICTU before us last week there was a focus on recommendation No. 35 from the citizens' assembly, which called for the establishment of a legal right to collective bargaining.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: It is welcome to hear that. We heard last week about the draft EU directive on adequate minimum wages, which will place obligations about collective bargaining and create that legal framework.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: It is useful to hear the report is due imminently.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: Recommendation No. 15 states: "Take account of gender equality issues in piloting a Universal Basic Income scheme." We look forward to the research that the Minister has described and said he will publish shortly. . Deputy Leo Varadkar:I have to bring the research to Government before it gets published. The thing that will be published in October is the report by the high-level working...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: I have two specific questions on matters that we have not considered sufficiently and two Deputies wish to ask some questions, as part of the second round, after which I suggest we finish. Recommendation No. 36 states:" Introduce a statutory right to reasonable access to flexible working." The citizens' assembly was very clear that it wanted to see a statutory right to reasonable access...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: We sought one next year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: It soon will be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Ivana Bacik: That concludes our public hearing. On behalf of the committee, I thank the Minister for his constructive engagement with us and I thank his officials for attending. We will send him our interim report on constitutional change and, at the start of December, we will publish our final report on all 45 recommendations of the citizens' assembly. We will forward both to him in his role as...