Averil Power (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. Paragraph (h) is designed to safeguard the right to privacy. It emphasises that the private life of an employee, or a prospective employee, is not the business of a person's employer. I have not been fully reassured that these two issues are dealt with in Report Stage amendments, that the Minister of State has indicated. I accept that there is now a restriction in terms of the circumstances in which an employer can take action to those where there has been some conduct, on the part of the employee, it does not say that the conduct must have occurred in the workplace. Also, the legislation does not specify what type of conduct could and could not reasonably be perceived to be a threat to the ethos. I appreciate that the provision imposes some requirements of rationality but it does not provide enough clarity. That is why I tabled amendments on these issues.

My amendment also covers the issue around marriage. I refer to ensuring that the simple act of getting married, or speaking about one's marriage, in the workplace could never constitute conduct. I ask the Minister of State for his response to my queries. Perhaps he will consider or reconsider those issues between now and Report Stage to ensure that the Bill provides the clarity that is required in respect of those areas.