Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I second Senator Ryan's request to the Leader to take No. 22 first, the Bill on consumer protection and gift vouchers. It is long overdue, as research has shown that a majority of gift vouchers are never redeemed because of the time limits. This is an important principle.

I ask the Leader for a debate on women's participation in politics. Members will be aware that at 11.30 a.m. I will be launching the report of the Sub-Committee on Women's Participation in Politics, to which I am rapporteur and of which Senator McDonald is a member. Deputy Kenneally chaired the sub-committee. Our findings and recommendations have received overwhelming cross-party support and been adopted by the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, which has already requested that the report's findings be debated in both Houses. I ask the Leader for an early date for that debate.

Regarding gender equality, I would like to add my voice to the request for a debate on the fallout from the Supreme Court ruling in the Portmarnock Golf Club case. There was strong dissent in the Supreme Court and Mr. Justice Nial Fennelly suggested that it was preposterous, unreasonable and implausible to claim that Portmarnock Golf Club was catering primarily for the needs of men rather than the purpose of playing golf. This sums up the objection that I and many others have to the ruling. The idea that the club was for men and not golf was the crux of the case. It is clearly incumbent on us as legislators to debate what needs to be done to ensure the principle of equality is vindicated and that clubs like Portmarnock will no longer be able to discriminate in this fashion. We need an urgent debate on how best to amend the legislation to resolve this issue.