Written answers

Tuesday, 22 October 2019

Department of Justice and Equality

Gender Proofing of Policies

Photo of Margaret Murphy O'MahonyMargaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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241. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if all new policies and programmes since 2017 have been proofed against their potential impact on women with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42975/19]

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Cabinet Handbook requires that all proposals coming before Government must indicate the impacts across a number of socio-economic headings including gender impact, while all substantive memoranda should indicate the impact on people with disabilities. Impact assessment is also a core element of the current system of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), which is a requirement for all Departments submitting policy proposals to Government involving legislative changes.  

Under my area of responsibility, the Government has committed, in the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020, to considering gender impact in the development of new strategies and the review of existing strategies. The Strategy also requires all public bodies to assess and identify the human rights of women and girls and the gender equality issues that are relevant to their functions and address these in their strategic planning, policies and practices, and annual reports, in line with the public sector duty under section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014.

The development of policy in addressing the gender pay gap is informed by the public consultation on the gender pay gap conducted in Autumn 2017, which received contributions in which issues affecting women with disabilities were raised.

I can also advise the Deputy that the consultation conducted between October 2018 and February 2019 which is informing development of the new National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy had an emphasis on ensuring that marginalised voices, including those of people with disabilities, were sought out and included.

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