Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senator Ivana Bacik and the other Labour Senators for their work in this area. There are numerous complex reasons, as other speakers have alluded to, as to why a gender pay gap exists, not only in Ireland but all over the world. One reason is that women are, in some cases, paid a lower hourly wage than men. Another is that a significant portion of women may not return to work full-time once they have children, and it is a biological reality that women have to have the children until something changes drastically with the human race. The combination of women working fewer hours on average than men over their lifetime and the lower hourly wages for women results in lower pensions, which is a bigger issue in many senses because many women experience poverty in old age.

Ireland currently ranks 25th out of 33 in the women in work world league table. There is clearly room for serious improvement here. However, Ireland ranks above some of our European neighbours, which is some comfort, but to think that we rank ahead of Italy, Spain and Greece is a small comfort in many ways. Ireland has also seen positive change as the gender pay gap has decreased somewhat in the last 11 years. As I said, serious further improvement is required. Female unemployment has decreased by 3,900 to 58,000 over the years to the first quarter of 2017. That is line with a general reduction of those unemployed in the country.

Nevertheless, more must be done to narrow the gap, and to do so at a quicker rate. Therefore, the Bill is not being opposed by the Government and I welcome this fact. I have a number of slight issues with it and I will not go into detail on them, because the Minister of State has already outlined his side of the argument in that sense. The need for change, as a result of the programme for a partnership Government, includes a commitment to promote wage transparency by introducing wage surveys for companies of 50 or more employees. Furthermore, the national strategy for women and girls, 2017 to 2020, which was launched in May this year, includes actions on the gender pay gap. So some work is being done and planned. The strategy notes the need for dialogue between union and employer stakeholders to address the gender pay gap. I noted the previous speaker's comments on this, but I do not see how dialogue could hurt. The strategy also mentions the need to develop and promote practical information resources to explain and increase understanding of the multifaceted aspects of the gender pay gap and its causes. It also states calls for the development of practical tools to assist employers to calculate the gender pay gap within their organisations and to consider its aspects and causes, mindful of obligations regarding privacy and data protection. Further, it states the need to promote wage transparency by requiring companies of 50 or more employees to complete a wage survey periodically and report the results. Therefore, there is some strategy in place at this stage in this regard.

It has been argued by the Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union, IMPACT, that publishing information on the gender pay gap will incentivise employers to reduce the issue and to narrow the gap, as they will be in public competition with other businesses and organisations which pay their employees more equally. Furthermore, if such information is public knowledge, it will allow people to negotiate better pay in addition to allowing organisations and firms to engage with suppliers and businesses that practise equality with regard to gender pay. Therefore, the proposed Bill embodies meaningful change, such as publishing the figures of large companies, which I welcome. There are a number of small issues. The Bill is inconsistent with the method which is outlined in the national strategy for women and girls. I am sure that is something that could be worked through or ignored in the context of the Bill, perhaps. Consultation with employers and trade unions is needed, as I mentioned. The exercise of any authority or power to make a scheme would be at the sole discretion of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC. There is no provision under which the Minister may request it to make a scheme. As such, there is no guarantee that the enactment of the legislation would result in the introduction of wage surveys, as envisaged under the programme for a partnership Government.

I am not going to go through the other points that the Minister of State has addressed, but I support the Bill. There are a number of complex reasons why there is a gender pay gap, and therefore the solution will also need to be complex. We must address a number of factors and solutions to narrow the gap, such as providing affordable child care. We need to lead by example in these Houses. If any of us of child-rearing age were to be pregnant in the morning, we would not have the proper support with regard to hours and basic maternity leave, which is hard to believe in this day and age. The Government has implemented legislation to achieve and develop equality in Ireland, such as the introduction of paternity leave. I welcome that one of the candidates in our leadership race-----