Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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512. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 407 of 20 September 2022, if the proposed review of the Equality Acts will examine if there is a need for regulation to recognise epilepsy alert dogs and seizure alert dogs as service animals and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53383/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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While the Deputy is aware that I cannot provide an interpretation of legislation, and while the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth has no explicit policy or legislative responsibility over service animals, both I and my colleague and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, T.D, are committed to advancing the right to equality and non-discrimination for all people with disabilities.

The Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in the provision of goods and services, the provision of accommodation, and access to education. There are established complaints procedures for potential breaches of the Equal Status Acts.

In June 2021, Minister O’Gorman, T.D, announced his intention to conduct a review of the Equality Acts (comprising of the Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015). The review will be informed by the responses that have been submitted through a public consultation process and it will examine the functioning of the Acts, including their effectiveness in combating discrimination and promoting equality, including in relation to disability.