Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to address gender pay inequality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27550/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Primary responsibility for policy in relation to equal pay is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Addressing the factors behind the gender pay gap is, however, a multi-faceted task involving a number of Government Departments. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment undertakes the following actions.

The National Framework Committee on Work/Life Balance Policies, which is chaired by the Department, undertakes a range of activities to raise awareness and encourage the provision of work/life balance arrangements at the level of the enterprise. The committee's activities include the provision of financial assistance to organisations, information dissemination activities, seminars, and research activities.

The introduction of the national minimum wage has also had an impact in addressing the gender pay gap. In this regard, I accepted the Labour Court recommendation and increased the minimum wage to €7.65 per hour with effect from 1 May 2005. Furthermore, the new Social Partnership agreement provides for a further adjustment to the minimum wage with effect from 1 January, 2007.

"Expanding the Workforce", which is run by FÁS, is aimed at proactively encouraging women to return to work. The initiative facilitates women returnees by ensuring that training is provided in a flexible manner and is tailored to meet business requirements and skills needs of employers.