Written answers

Tuesday, 31 January 2023

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Equal Opportunities Employment

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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509. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the recourses available to those who feel that they were discriminated against during the job interview process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4704/23]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Discrimination on nine specified grounds, namely, gender, civil status, family, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller is prohibited by law in the field of employment under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015. These include recruitment and promotion; equal pay; working conditions; training or experience; dismissal and harassment including sexual harassment. 

Complaints regarding breaches of equality legislation may be pursued before the Workplace Relations Commission, which publishes statistics regularly on its decisions in regard to equality complaints disaggregated by discriminatory ground. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, which is independent in the exercise of its statutory functions, provides information on taking complaints under these acts and supports strategic litigation in this regard.

I am currently conducting a review of the Equality Acts to examine, among other issues, the functioning of the Acts and their effectiveness in combatting discrimination and promoting equality.

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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510. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the legislative steps he has taken to protect interviewees from being discriminated against; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4705/23]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Discrimination on nine specified grounds, namely, gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller is prohibited by law in the field of employment under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2021 and in the supply of and access to goods and services under the Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2018.  This includes the area of access to employment and recruitment.

Complaints regarding breaches of equality legislation may be pursued before the Workplace Relations Commission, which publishes statistics regularly on its decisions in regard to equality complaints disaggregated by discriminatory ground. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, which is independent in the exercise of its statutory functions, provides information on taking complaints under these acts and supports strategic litigation in this regard.

I am currently conducting a review of the Equality Acts to examine, among other issues, the functioning of the Acts and their effectiveness in combatting discrimination and promoting equality.

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