Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 32, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “(d) specify the manner in which the objectives, intended outputs and related strategies of the Authority have been subject to gender and equality proofing,”.

Amendment No. 20 seeks to amend section 37(4) to provide that the board's statement of strategy would specify the manner in which the objectives, intended outputs and related strategies of the authority have been subject to gender and equality proofing. I appreciate that the Minister indicated there was some gender-proofing earlier in the design but this is about ensuing we would specify and hear within the statement of strategy clear objectives, intended outputs and strategies regarding how that gender and equality proofing would be delivered.

Amendment No. 22 seeks to amend section 42 by inserting a new paragraph requiring that the authority would collect:

statistical data in relation to participation in and financial benefit from the automatic enrolment retirement savings system disaggregated on the basis of

(i) gender;

(ii) class;

(iii) disability;

(iv) ethnicity;

(v) marital status;

(vi) family status and;

(vii) history of engagement in the labour market.

Amendment No. 23 is an alternative which similarly looks to the statistical data being disaggregated on the basis of gender, disability, marital status, family status and history of engagement in the labour market. Regarding these two amendments, there is a subtle difference in that, in amendment No. 23, I stick closer to the nine equality grounds as are.

Amendment No. 24 seeks to amend section 42(1)(b) by providing that statistical data relating to the types of investments held by provider schemes would be disaggregated. This will help ensure transparency on how people's retirement money is being spent.

Amendment No. 25 seeks to amend 43(3) to ensure that, within the power to review the effectiveness of the Act, the authority would review the gender and equality impacts of the automatic enrolment retirement saving schemes.

Some of that disaggregation matters because it is how we know who this is working for and to see, from the perspective of gender, disability and ethnicity, including, of course, membership of the Traveller community, if it is working for all sections in our society. Family status is probably one of the most important there. Is this a scheme that is actually going to be beneficial to and benefit some of the most deprived and most hard-pressed within the State, including, for example, those parenting alone, who we know have the highest deprivation rates and many of whom, when working, are working in part-time and low-paid work? Breaking down who this works for, not just on a gender basis but within some of the other categories, will be important in ensuring the scheme is effective and working. Disaggregated data allows us to make better decisions and better policy adjustments and I hope the Minister may indicate how she plans to ensure we have statistical data which dives in a bit deeper and gives us the kind of information we need to ensure this scheme is as effective as I know she hopes it will be.