John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 9, between lines 15 and 16. to insert the following:

5.—The Act of 1998 is amended by inserting the following section after section 7:

'7A.—The Minister is committed to ensuring the adherence to, the application and enforcement of the principle of equal pay for equal work in all circumstances.',".

I welcome the Minister of State. While I was not present to contribute during the debates on Second and Committee Stages, I recall that a similar amendment was proposed by my colleague, Senator Terry, on Committee Stage. Having read the discussion of the amendment between the Senator and the Minister of State, it is clear that our concerns have still not been addressed.

A well established, straightforward principle of equal pay for equal work applies across the EU without provisos. Some of the provisions in the Bill give reason to query whether the Minister is fully committed to this principle. The statutory based discrimination provided for in section 24, to which I will refer later, is one such provision.

The purpose of the amendment is to state in black and white that the Minister is committed to the well established principle. During the debate on Committee Stage last week, the Minister of State stated that Senator Terry's view on the matter was aspirational. A clear statement of our view on equal pay for equal work should not be aspirational — nor would it fit under an aspirational heading — and should be applied in practice. The Minister of State's reply on Committee Stage left much to be desired. I look forward to his reply in this debate.