Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday the Select Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny met the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. It was interesting that there was a discussion on the commitment in the programme for Government to equality-proofing and gender-proofing of the budgetary process. In the commitment to new politics about which we have been hearing one of the key matters is reform of the way in which budgets are compiled, as well as the budgetary process, of which the commitment to equality-proofing and gender-proofing is part. I again ask the Leader to make sure this House will have a role to play in contributing to that new process and the shaping of a stronger commitment to equality and gender-proofing within the budgetary process. I am keen to know how he might see this House contributing to that process. I also ask him to recommend that the National Women's Council of Ireland which, of course, has key expertise in gender-proofing be involved in this regard. We have seen in the health sector which has been discussed in this House this week that pilot health schemes have shown positive outcomes for men and women when a gender analysis is brought to bear. Again, these measures would be very useful in the budgetary process.

I also urge the House to consider the role it might play in strengthening the application of the public duty on equality and human rights, something all Departments are required to implement, again as part of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission's founding legislation. I would like to see if it could be attached to the legislation. We have new legislation going through the House and it would be useful to see how it has been considered in terms of the public duty on equality and human rights. I echo what my colleague Senator Gerard P. Craughwell said about the idea that while statements were positive, we needed to move to deal with legislation.

We will be debating UK-EU relations later this week. I commend "our fans" who have done a lot to promote Irish-EU relations in the past few weeks and wish our team well in the match this evening.