Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. It is with some reservation that I welcome this Bill. I must accept the inevitable. It is a lovely Christmas present for the women of Ireland to know that one of the presents they will receive is an increase in their car insurance, not because they are a higher risk, but because they are women. I would love equality legislation to apply everywhere, but this legislation states clearly that the legislation does not apply to employment or occupational pensions.

I raised an issue in the Seanad yesterday with regard to the new OECD report which indicates women pay a high price for motherhood. It has been demonstrated that the earning power of women who were top earners decreased as the number of children they had increased. The same thing seems to be happening in the case of driving. It is not that women are more of a risk, but that they happen to be women.