Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In July 2021, I launched a public consultation process as part of the review of the Equality Acts (Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015) to examine the functioning of the Acts and their effectiveness in combatting discrimination and promoting equality.

The purpose of the review is to examine the operation of the Acts to assess their effectiveness with regard to those taking claims under their redress mechanisms. It is examining the degree to which those experiencing discrimination are aware of the legislation and whether there are practical or other obstacles that preclude or deter them from taking an action. The review also includes consideration of Programme for Government commitments to examine the introduction of a socio-economic ground for discrimination and protections for gender identity under the current legislation.

The Department was pleased to receive an extensive response to the public consultation and the submissions were reviewed by officials in my Department. The report on the submissions to the public consultation on the Review of the Equality Acts is now at an advanced stage and arrangements are being made for publication.