Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I find it extraordinary that the precise data sought in the question are not available. It would seem to be a very simple matter to obtain a gender breakdown of those employed in small, medium and large businesses, respectively. Surely it is important for policymakers, particularly those in Government, to know the gender breakdown of companies when formulating legislation on wage transparency in order to arrive an appropriate figure at which the duty of disclosure of wage rates would arise. I am concerned about this.

The Minister of State's answer explains the reasons the National Women's Council has been unable to obtain this information until now. I thank him for elaborating on the labour force survey figures. It is of interest to see the immense gender disparity between men and women in the self-employed category. It is interesting to note from the CSO figures the large number of people who are employed in small enterprises.

I will raise policy issues, particularly my concern around the absence of the key data I sought, with the relevant Ministers. It is appropriate to raise this concern with them in the context of the ongoing debate on the gender pay gap Bill. I very much hope the Government will see fit to adopt my Bill given how many people are employed in small industries. If nothing else, the Minister of State's response has certainly shown us that this is the area where a vast number of people are employed and the area we need to tackle to address the overall gender pay gap.