I thank the Tánaiste.

I thank the Tánaiste for the kind words and the response but it is simply not good enough to say the Government would prefer to own the land yet not be able to do something about it. We have a compulsory purchase order process. That should be used if St. Vincent's will not pass the land to the State. The question remains why St. Vincent's Holdings CLG will not simply gift the land to the State and why it is so anxious to retain ownership. Without a sufficient answer we risk simply sleepwalking into the default posi…

I join the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in expressing thanks to all the staff and on behalf of Labour I wish staff, Members and colleagues a well-earned break. Last week the Oireachtas passed the Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Bill to provide for the linking of rent increases with the rate of inflation. Since then a number of cases have come to my attention and the attention of my colleague, our housing spokesperson, Senator Moynihan, of landlords issuing notices to tenants of rent reviews in advance of the new rules comin…

I am bilocating.

Go raibh maith agat. I was going to say Leas-Chathaoirleach but I think I say Leas-Cheann Comhairle here.

I thank the Acting Chair for those warm words and all my colleagues who took the time yesterday, both inside and outside the Chamber, to wish me well. It was a warm welcome and I am grateful. I am told that I am the first ever Deputy to be sworn in while not in Leinster House. The convention centre feels very different. It was also stated yesterday that I am only the 37th woman in this Dáil and only the 131st woman ever to be elected to Dáil Éireann. Those statistics gave me pause for thought yesterday. I am proud …

I thank Deputy Cairns.

Thank you, Taoiseach.

I thank the Taoiseach for his kind and gracious words and all of those who gave me such a warm welcome today on my first day in big school, as it feels. I am very grateful and honoured to have been elected last week to represent my home constituency of Dublin Bay South. I am just over the moon to be here. I thank all of those who supported me. I thank my amazing campaign team, my parliamentary Labour Party colleagues, my director of elections, Deputy Duncan Smith, and my great campaign manager, Dermot Ryan. I also …

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, line 21, to delete "as soon as is reasonably practicable" and substitute "immediately".

I welcome the Minister and I thank Senator Boyhan for seconding the amendment. We had a debate on this provision on Committee Stage so I will not delay proceedings. The amendment is about delay and it seeks to ensure the publication of guidance to give effect the Bill's provisions would come in immediately after commencement. This is simply to avoid any further delays in the introduction and implementation of gender pay gap laws. As I said on Committee Stage, we know employers, trade unions and workers across the c…

I thank the Minister for his very clear response and commitment to have the regulations introduced as swiftly as possible and without delay. I thank him for clarifying that. There has been a pattern at every stage of the debate on this Bill and when I brought my related legislation through the Seanad and my colleagues steered it through the Dáil. We have sought to work constructively with Government to bring forward the important principle that we would see gender pay gap reporting put in place. We put down the ame…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, to delete line 25.

Again, I raised this issue on Committee Stage. I thank SIPTU for raising with me the need to ensure there is explicit recognition of the role of trade unions in making this legislation effective across workplaces and in working constructively to ensure we address the gender pay gap. We are all conscious of the 14% gender pay gap that persists in this country and the fact that so many women see this inequity at a collective level. Because of that, we want to ensure there is a place in the legislation for trade union…

I thank the Minister for his comments about the amendments and I take the point about the directive. Indeed I noted that on Committee Stage. However, there is concern in the trade union movement that the voluntarist model of collective bargaining in industrial relations has not necessarily served its members as well as it could. This is a problem we face at broader level. The Minister says there is nothing to stop employers consulting with unions but the problem is that all too often, we have seen a need for a stro…

I move amendment No. 4: In page 4, to delete line 34 and substitute the following: "employer’s case, and (d) employers who are party to a collective agreement negotiated with a recognised trade union or staff association to consult with the trade union or staff association concerned both prior to and following upon the publication of the information referred to in this section."

I move amendment No. 5: In page 4, to delete lines 38 to 41, and in page 5, to delete lines 1 to 10 and substitute the following: "(3) Regulations made under this section shall not apply to an employer having fewer than 20 employees.".

Again, this amendment arises from the debate on Committee Stage and this issue has been debated extensively over the years since I first introduced gender pay gap legislation in this House. As soon as it was enacted, my Bill would have applied to all organisations with 50 or more employees. In that regard, we were simply taking the model of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission legislation, which has a similar remit for all organisations with 50 or more employees. We believe that was the right number at th…

Well said.

I thank colleagues who have spoken on the amendment. In particular, I acknowledge, as Senator Pauline O'Reilly said, that this is historic and I very much welcome the legislation. I will absolutely be working constructively with the Government to ensure it passes swiftly. I assure the Minister of that. I will not seek to delay it in any way. Reflecting on the comments of Senator Pauline O'Reilly, it is almost 50 years since we passed the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act in 1974, which was supposed to herald an end to …