Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Senator is aware, I am a strong advocate of gender equality. I outlined in some detail on Committee Stage the broad actions I am taking in seeking to achieve gender equality in higher education. A number of specific provisions relating to gender equality are contained in the Bill, which I also outlined on Committee Stage.

Regarding amendment No. 15, section 19(6) requires a technological university to implement the policies set out in its equality statement. I consider this mandatory requirement to cover adequately any relevant procedure or other arrangement relating to implementation without the need to reference it specifically. I also consider section 19(2) sufficiently broad to encompass all aspects of equality, including gender equality, as this subsection applies to all activities of the technological university without the need to specify these requirements in any greater detail, as sought in amendment No. 16.

Regarding amendments Nos. 17 and 18, I will highlight that under section 23, the technological university is required within six months of year-end to submit to the Minister and the HEA a report on its activities and the report shall have regard to the equality statement. This report shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas by the Minister and published as soon as possible thereafter on the Internet by the technological university. In the broader context, I envisage that technological universities will, as a matter of course, publish their equality statements in full.

This is in addition to the work of the gender equality task force, the establishment of which I announced on 6 November. This high-level task force will oversee a national system review of the recruitment and promotion policies and practices in place in higher education institutions with a view to identifying good practice and highlighting areas that need improvement. This will feed into the development of actions for a prioritised three-year action plan to be prepared by the task force in consultation with stakeholders. The new task force will build on work done for the HEA's national review of gender equality in higher education institutions, which was published in 2016. That report set out an important analysis and made recommendations for improvements. Therefore, I cannot accept these amendments.