Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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802. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her intentions following the review of the Equality Acts published in 2003 which found that the equality legislation is not easy to navigate and requires an overhaul and codification; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38812/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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810. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to carry out an SME test of proposals to add socioeconomic status as a grounds for discrimination under the Equality Acts. [39043/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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811. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will introduce proposals to add socioeconomic status as a grounds for discrimination under the Equality Acts as part of the Equality and Family Leave (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025; if the addition of same requires an SME Test; if she will report on her engagement with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in relation to same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39044/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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812. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the recent CSO publication “Equality and Discrimination 2024”; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39045/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 802, 810, 811 and 812 together.

A Review of the Equality Acts was announced in 2021. The Department invited written submissions to a public consultation and a report summarising the key issues raised was published in July 2023. Submissions were received on a wide variety of subjects including all the equality grounds: gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller community, and the housing assistance ground.

Other issues raised in the submissions included the proposed ground of socioeconomic disadvantage and incorporating intersectionality into the legislation. Many submissions also commented on the functioning and accessibility of the Equality Acts.

In November 2024 a draft General Scheme was approved by Government. The General Scheme has been informed by the submissions received in the review process, by additional stakeholder consultations on some of the complex issues arising, as well as by recent Private Members’ Bills, academic research, and requirements under EU Equality Directives.

The General Scheme has been referred for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Equality. This process is now underway.

The November 2024 Government decision also included approval, in principle, of the introduction of a new equality ground of socioeconomic disadvantage in the equality legislation, subject to the completion of an assessment of the potential costs for the Exchequer and of the Enhanced SME test examining the potential impact on SMEs of the introduction of such an equality ground. This work is currently underway.

I am also aware of the recent CSO publication, “Equality and Discrimination 2024”. This follows a survey, carried out in 2024, looking at the experience of discrimination, as reported by the respondents to the survey, across various settings, including work-places, social settings, education, health, public services and interactions with An Garda Síochána.

My officials are considering this publication in the context of the wider Review of the Equality Acts. The findings related to perceived discrimination based on socioeconomic background are of particular interest as part of ongoing consideration of the proposed addition of this new equality ground.

While conscious that an exercise to consolidate the equality legislation would make it easier to navigate, there are many competing demands for the drafting resources of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, with priority needing to be given to drafting new legislation.