Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Section 12(7) of the Employment Equality Act and section 7 of the Equal Status Act 2000 provide different fees, grants and admission arrangements for vocational training and access to education may apply between Irish and EU citizens on one hand, and citizens of other states on the other. The State is obliged under EEA agreements and EU-Switzerland agreements to ensure the benefits extended to EU nationals are also extended to EEA and Swiss nationals in the absence of explicit provision to the contrary in the agreements. In practice, the same benefits are extended to such individuals but the Acts do not reference them explicitly. These amendments are required to provide for an explicit reference.