Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage (Resumed)

I am glad to have the opportunity to talk about the two topics covered in this Bill. First of all, I cannot understand why the gender pay gap and allowing first cousins to be part of DNA testing with regard to institutional burials have been lumped in together. It is only right that everything possible is done to identify the remains of babies that have been identified heretofore. I have no problem with that and will be supporting it. Regarding that desperate time in our history, 180 days or six months was determined as the amount of time people needed to be in a home for. I met people in recent times who had been in homes for four months. I met someone else who was just two weeks short. This is very wrong. It is a travesty that these people, of whom there are many, are not being included because they are short a number of days. I am asking the Government to recognise that and to ensure it is addressed, because what is happening is not fair. If people were in one of these mother and baby homes at some time in their lives because they did not have a father or they did have a father or something happened to the mother, regardless of the amount of time involved, they should be included. In fairness, there is a lot of money going different ways, and these people should be included and helped at this time. Regarding the gender pay gap, there should be no gap. If a woman and a man are doing the same work in an equal fashion, they should, of course, be paid the same, but I do not think that is a problem at all. It is well recognised and addressed, but if the Government has to give something legal effect, that is fine. There are problems that have been created in recent times, however. Employers are telling me that they are facing insurmountable problems regardless of whether they employ men or women. Take last week's budget. The minimum wage has been increased. I have no problem with the people working and getting as much as they can, but increasing the minimum wage increases every wage. I am concerned about the employers because if we increase the minimum wage, all the wages up along the line as far as the maximum wage then increase. It is all loaded on the employers, whether they are businesspeople in Killarney, farmers around the country or contractors. It is the employer and not the Government that pays the extra in the minimum wage or all the wages up along. I am asking the Government to remember that. A number of adverse things have happened to employers in recent times, including auto-enrolment. Many employers are telling me that a number of things have hit them, such as auto-enrolment for pensions, which I mentioned, and the extra cost of rates. I met a man in Killarney yesterday evening who said his rates had gone up by 305%. He said he did not know if he could keep going or keep his doors open. That is tough. We have raised this issue here several times and I do not hear the Government coming back or anyone listening. I have raised it with the staff of Kerry County Council. The way rates have gone up is a serious problem. All these things are hitting employers at this time. I was told that this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and did it ever. If the Government thinks it can keep increasing wages when employers have to pay them, it could find that a lot of these fellows will not be able to keep going. Many doors have closed in shops and pubs around County Kerry in places like Cordal and Castleisland. The Government has to be aware of what is going on and affecting employers that are employing men and women. Everything is coming together and it is being directed by the Government. Employers are not getting the help and attention they need. I ask the Government to address it and ensure it is rectified because we could lose many of them. It takes a fair man or woman to open the door and keep a business going. They are telling me that it is becoming harder and harder to do that under the rules we have. The Government has to recognise that employers do not have an endless pot of money or a leprechaun's purse. They need assistance. Look at the costs. The cost of electricity and energy has gone up. Employers are all feeling the pinch. I ask the Minister to remember that and the fact that they need help. The Government should recognise that. I am pleased to see that we have a Minister from Kerry at the table. I ask her to ensure that when things like this are happening, something else has to happen to help employers that are feeling the pinch because they are struggling at the present time. We had a great summer in Kerry because of the weather and it helped a lot but the long winter is coming and wages and energy costs are going up. Everything is going up and it is affecting the employers. We want them to open again next year. I appeal to the Minister to listen to what I have said.

I thank Deputies for their presence today and their continued engagement on these important matters. The Bill provides for two separate and important issues, notably amendments to the Employment Equality Act 1998 and amendments to the Institutional Burials Act 2022. I will speak directly to those as they are the issues at hand. I thank all employers who have made an account on a voluntary basis on the gender pay gap portal, as well as our social partners which have continually encouraged use of the portal. I am grateful to the House for facilitating consideration of the Bill so that legislation can be passed in time for mandatory reporting of the 2026 gender pay gap reporting cycle, which begins on 1 November. I also thank the House for facilitating the amendments to the Institutional Burials Act because of the age profile or health status of some of the first cousins who wish to participate in the Tuam identification programme to help with the identification of their relatives. As we move to the next Stage, I thank Deputy Wall in particular for his amendments to the Bill. I also thank him for his careful scrutiny and detailed engagement with the Bill. I am happy to accept some of his amendments and I will speak to the specific amendments on Committee Stage.