Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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924. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the supports in place to ensure that working mothers are not disproportionately penalised in terms of promotion and pay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42550/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Family status is one of the discriminatory grounds listed in the Employment Equality Act 1998. The Employment Equality Act 1998 is under the remit of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. Complaints of discrimination in relation to employment must normally be referred to the Workplace Relations Commission within 6 months.

The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality is also responsible for the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021. Under the Act, employers must publish their gender pay gap information. Reporting began in 2022 for employers with over 250 employees and extended to those with over 150 employees in 2024. This year, reporting obligations has been extended to employers with over 50 employees.

Building on the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, I understand the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is working to transpose the EU Directive 2023/970 to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency. The Directive provides that EU companies will be required to share information about how much they pay women and men for work of equal value and to act if their gender pay gap exceeds 5%. It also provides for compensation for victims of pay discrimination and penalties, including fines, for non-compliance.

This Directive is crucial to empower workers, and especially women, to enforce their right to equal pay through a set of binding measures on pay transparency, to strengthen the transparency of pay systems, to improve public understanding of the relevant legal concepts, and to enhance enforcement of the rights and obligations relating to equal pay.

This Directive is under the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Disability and Quality and I understand that officials are working on the detailed policy options for transposition of the Directive.