David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This brings me back to my initial position. I would prefer to see these exemptions got rid of altogether. The United Nation's Human Rights Committee in July 2014 said that Ireland should amend Section 37(1) of the Employment Equality Act "in a way that bars all forms of discrimination in employment in the fields of education and health". That is my position but I understand that it is not the Government's position.

With regard to the amendment I have to say that, unlike the previous amendment tabled by Senator Zappone which I complimented for its clarity, I am not sure that this one is quite so clear. It places an obligation or wish on the Minister to issue guidelines to an institution about its ethos. I am not sure that a Minister or a Department is the appropriate place to issue guidelines to a religious institution about its ethos.

An interesting point was made that there is no definition ethos, or at least it is very vague. Religions could publish books on what their ethos is and, in fact, there have been books published on the Christian ethos, Islamic ethos, etc. Therefore, I am not sure how practical a definition would be so, like my friend and colleague, Senator Martin Conway, said about an earlier matter, I will suspend judgment.