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amendments and subsequent regulations to be made under the Bill will legally oblige employers in scope of the legislation to report their gender pay gap information via the gender pay gap portal. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality first introduced gender pay gap reporting in 2022 following … enactment of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021. Reporting was introduced on a phased basis. As of 2025 employers with over 50 employees must report on their gender pay gap by publishing it on their own website or making it otherwise publicly available. The Department

provisions contained in this Bill and the clear commitment they represent to fairness, dignity and equal opportunity in our society. The Irish gender pay gap currently stands at 8.3%, below the EU average of 11.1%. It is also lower for newer entrants to the job market. That … welcome news but, even still, only one in ten CEOs are female. The gender pay gap portal is a centralised reporting database. It is an important element of employment equality. It creates transparency and fairness. It should, and will, I hope, highlight discrepancies quickly that will be swiftly

Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill, which is a constructive piece of legislation. We need provisions relating to the gender pay gap reporting. It is always important to have transparency for policymakers, employers and workers in improving things but we obviously still have the existing inequalities … purpose of the portal was to enable clear examination of pay disparities across sectors and to support responses aimed at reducing the gender pay gap, which, unfortunately, is still evident in many areas. With the technology we have had over the past couple of years, you would argue

express support for both parts of this Bill, including the gender pay gap element of it. Currently, the gender pay gap in this country is at 10.8%. I welcome mechanisms to increase the reporting because when we have more data, we can see exactly what the difficulty … trying to figure out how to explain the gender pay gap to somebody. If two people are working in the same company and they work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the man will get paid from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but with the current

cruelty to exclude people from this payment scheme. As enterprise, tourism and employment spokesperson for Sinn Féin, I will focus on the gender pay gap reporting provisions. Employers are already required to collect and publish gender pay gap information but the Bill introduces a mandatory requirement for that … real change. We must remember who pays the price for that failure. It is overwhelmingly women who experience the consequences of the gender pay gap through lower earnings, reduced career opportunities and, ultimately, lower pensions. I wish to send solidarity to those who are in that category

welcome this Bill for both its updating of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act and its expansion of the identification programme to include first cousins. The measures of strength and transparency under the Employment Equality Act are also welcome, but Ireland's unadjusted gender pay gap is estimated … know that for women with children, women of colour and women with disabilities this is even greater. However, closing the gender pay gap requires more than just collecting data. It requires fairer childcare systems, stronger maternity protections and proper recognition of the value of care work

welcome the Bill and the proposals the Minister is bringing forward to strengthen gender pay gap reporting. The gender pay gap has real consequences for women throughout their lives, in their earnings, opportunities for promotion and pensions. Requiring employers covered by the legislation to report through a central

also welcome this Bill. It requires employers to submit gender pay gap information to the central portal, making reports easier to find, compare and scrutinise. It also extends eligibility under the Institutional Burials Act to first cousins, an important compassionate change for families seeking answers. On the gender … pay reporting, transparency matters, but what matters most is what we do with the information. Ireland's gender pay gap is reported to be at 8.3% and, according to the CSO, the number of women in employment has increased by 82% since 2000, so there has been progress

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 … 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

central system for gender pay gap reporting is a very sensible reform. It should make information easier to find, compare and track over time, giving policymakers, researchers, employees and the public a clearer picture of where progress is being made and where further action is needed. Transparency … Without that clarity, there is a risk that we improve reporting without strengthening accountability. We must also address the causes of the gender pay gap. We know the gap widens when children arrive and caring responsibilities fall unequally. Paternity leave in Ireland remains at just two weeks

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 … 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

House today deals with two separate issues, both of which are very welcome steps. The first issue I will deal with is gender pay gap reporting. I welcome the Government's move towards establishing a more central reporting portal but we need to see more urgency on pay … time will cost working women more than €570 million per year in lost wages. The directive's measures for tackling the gender pay gap are not limited to reporting. Where such gaps persistently exceed 5%, employers would be required to consult with unions or other employee representatives

welcome the two elements of this Bill. Speaking first to the gender pay gap issues, the transparency of the central availability of this information will be a step forward. I would disagree slightly perhaps with the impact this potentially has on SMEs as overly bureaucratic because, of course … threshold will not be impacted by it. However, I emphasise the point that knowing about a gap and doing something about it are two very different things. Gender pay discrepancy persists in this society and we must do more than simply finding out the information. I appreciate that

appropriately according to their wishes. I have no issue with the legislation before us. Similarly, I have no issue with centralising the gender pay gap portal, which has already been launched, and making reporting via that system mandatory. Listening to the Minister, I thought of those people

technical in nature, it provides for two vital measures that will make a real difference in people's lives. The first concerns gender pay gap reporting. The Bill requires employers to report data directly to the Minister, thereby creating a centralised national system and comparison mechanism. We know

welcome the provision in the Bill to address the gender pay gap. I also welcome the inclusion of first cousins to support DNA identification in the context of institutional burials. Exactly ten years ago, I was cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, which was a very privileged and honourable