Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the course of the the most recent on the Bill in the Seanad we did not have an opportunity to speak about NDAs and I will briefly address the matter.

I congratulate Senator Ruane on her considerable work over many years in bringing this matter forward and highlighting the appalling bad practice of silencing people. I want to acknowledge the people in fear who came forward to the Senator. They discussed their situation with her while being terrified of where it might go. I congratulate the Senator on holding the confidence of those people yet moving forward with that information and empowering it through legislation. Such work sums up what we are about. It is about making changes and making people's lives better. Everything about this Bill, from beginning to end, does so. I just want to remark on that and show enormous respect.

I thank the Minister and his Department for all the work done to bring forward this legislation. I know that the legislation must pass so many barriers along the way before it can be included in legislation. It is fantastic and it is great to make sure that they have that.

This legislation sets the tone of a culture of no tolerance so that where there is sexual impropriety and complaints of that nature, under no circumstances can anybody collude in a cover up. They cannot for a start silence a complainant, victim and a survivor of abuse, and the perpetrator cannot be passed on to another employer. We should also not have a situation where references are ever given to anybody in such a situation. There is no obligation in law to give a reference other than to confirm that somebody started employment on day one and finished on a particular day. References and character references are wholly inappropriate. The practice of giving references really began in academia. It is appalling to think that people have been passed from one entity to another to continue perpetrating in another guise all knowing that they covered by silence. Today can act as a stop sign for that practice, culture and any remote tolerance of it anywhere because there is now a mechanism and a means of complaint. I am delighted with that. We need to set a cultural tone for this country and for what we will tolerate in society. This Bill is a fantastic stop sign. Congratulations and well done.