Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State. I raise this issue so that I can learn from the reply. It arises in response to the European Court of Justice's ruling this week that women can be paid less than men on the basis of length of service in a firm, even if they must take time off to bring up children. They also found that length of service is a legitimate criteria by which to award higher pay rates to certain workers.

My initial reaction to the ruling may be wrong — I have been told I may have misinterpreted it. I feel it discriminates against women who take time off to have children. As I stated in the House recently, we have worked hard over the years to improve maternity leave and parental leave for mothers and fathers who wish to take time off to be with their children. This decision will discriminate against mothers or fathers who take time off.

I accept that if a mother chooses to take leave of absence, perhaps for five years, that period minus the legitimate maternity leave to which she is entitled should not be taken into consideration when awarding pay, particularly when this depends on length of service. I am confused in this regard. I have always believed that the principle of equal pay for equal work helped to remove discrimination against women in the workplace. The fact that one has spent a long period working in a job does not necessarily mean that one has gained great experience. I heard recently of a young teacher with very little experience who was able to carry out the duties required when a promotion was offered. The promotion involved additional pay for doing certain jobs after school hours. However, the young teacher did not get the job, while an older teacher did. It was thought that based on length of service he or she was more entitled to it, even though the younger teacher had been doing the work.

I hope the Minister of State will be able to explain to me in plain English the impact of this ruling on Irish workers, particularly women. It should be clarified so that I will understand it and be able to interpret the ruling correctly when we have a debate on this matter in the House.