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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

miss the mandatory deadline of 7 June 2026 for transposing the EU pay transparency directive, a directive designed to close the gender pay gap and empower workers with information that they are entitled to. These are not isolated oversights. They form a pattern of choices that consistently favour

about how caring role and professions traditionally carried out by women remained undervalued in our society. I could speak about the gender pay gap, which many companies continue to try and hide on websites. I could speak about the tsunami of research that shows women in leadership positions

with the introduction of a new seasonal employment permit, the introduction of an automatic pension enrolment system and the expansion of the gender pay gap regime. These demonstrate the Government's continuing commitment to a safe working environment, fair treatment and fair wages for the lowest paid workers

This leads to many women having to reduce hours, turn down promotions or leave the workforce due to childcare constraints. It deepens gender pay gaps and limits career progression, particularly for single women and low-income women. I have multiple constituents and friends who have come

seasonal employment permit, which is being piloted this year. This year will also see the expansion of the regime to reduce the gender pay gap. The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025 was published on 1 April 2025 and successfully completed Second Stage in the Dáil on Tuesday

years. At the same time, the work has not finished. I know things need to be done. We need to close the gender pay gap. We must invest in more skills and apprenticeships. In this country there is a huge need for them. Workers are needed across

workers' rights. As of 2024, Ireland continues to align its labour laws with EU directives, particularly in areas such as remote work, gender pay gap reporting and platform work protections. Today is a day to reflect on where we need to go and the challenges that remain

symptoms of inequality are still with us in Ireland today. As women, we face discrimination when it comes to opportunity, the gender pay gap and glass ceilings. Women have blazed a trail, achieved and risen to the top in many areas: business, politics, the arts, sports, broadcasting

largest group of people excluded from their fair share of benefits in our economy. A clear example of this is the gender pay gap, which is institutional sexism. It is unacceptable and needs to change. It will only change when the very systems that exclude working class women

launch an online portal where organisations will be required to report directly to Government on the progress they are making on the gender pay gap. This data will be used by academics and policymakers alike to further our understanding and to identify where future improvements will be needed

childcare is not available or affordable in a family. We know that countries that have proper support for parents have better gender equality, smaller pay gaps and better outcomes for children and their parents. We also know that the solutions are in front of us. This motion calls

Childcare remains unaffordable for far too many families, contributing to gender gaps in economic outcomes. We must see progress from the Government on its promise to introduce a €200 cap on childcare costs. We must guarantee fair pay, safe communities that are free from violence, inclusive services

OECD country. Childcare fees in my county of Kildare far exceed the nationwide average of €790 a month. Parents in Kildare pay an average fee of €850 a month, with the highest fee in the county standing at €1,154. Despite core funding promising to reduce costs, working … model cannot operate on its own; it needs to be backed up by increased family leave entitlements to ensure we address the gender care gap between men and women, promote the involvement of more men in caring duties and support women's labour market participation. We have

much into this subject but it is certainly an issue as part of the overall investment deficit, as are the pay and conditions of academic staff, particularly researchers and PhD students, who need better allowances and stipends. Let us consider schools. While funding for Science Week has increased … challenges in gender equality in STEM areas, which I focused on a lot when I was mayor of South Dublin County Council back in 2017–2018. While we have initiatives like Smart Futures and STEM Passport for Inclusion to try to close the gender gap, girls in Ireland

Independent Ireland firmly supports the principle that no worker should be left unpaid if a business ceases trading. The Bill addresses a significant gap in our law, highlighted by the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, and ensures that employees of small and medium enterprises, including sole traders, are protected … providing unpaid wages, holiday pay, notice pay, and more. This process helps employees avoid being trapped in limbo due to legal technicalities. We need to remember too that employees are left devastated when they lose their jobs. They have rent or mortgages to pay as well as childcare

eight weeks each. When a claim is accepted, payment is made from the Social Insurance Fund to the liquidator. The liquidator in turn pays out to the employees. Access to the insolvency payments scheme is contingent on the employer being insolvent. Insolvency is currently defined … died and their estate is insolvent, or is insolvent under the laws of another EU member state or the UK. However, there are gaps in the legislation that the Bill intends to address. In rare cases, a business may cease trading but fail to fully wind up. This

serving the interests of parents, children or providers. It is in serious need of investment and adequate funding. Parents are paying the equivalent of a mortgage for services. In some cases, they cannot access childcare even if they could afford it. My office in Swords responds every … significant obstacle to gender equality, economic participation and the overall well-being of our children. Sinn Féin remains committed to a public model of childcare. We would deliver childcare at a cost of €10 a day by giving subsidies to providers to bridge the gap between the actual

this House, let us do so in a manner that is honest in terms of engagement on the issue of transgender healthcare. I pay tribute to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and also to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for her own lived experience … people seeking gender-affirming healthcare. I am glad that the Government is not opposing the Labour Party Private Members' motion today. I thank members of the Labour Party for bringing this forward. There is a key phrase that we should focus on: gender-affirming healthcare. What Deputy Tóibín

payments scheme but it is coming late. I welcome that it will cater for the situation at present regarding wages, sick pay, holiday pay, minimum notice entitlements and pension contributions. While they are in the insolvency payments scheme, workers lose out where the employer does not deem itself … gap in the scheme to ensure that employees of former sole traders in insolvency arrangements as defined in the Personal Insolvency Act 2012 will now be covered by the scheme; the amending of the Employment Equality Act 1998 to ensure that any court awards for gender discrimination

have had. One of the questions posed in this discussion today was why we still have Pride. TENI speaks about the outstanding gaps in the law, policy and services that prevent people achieving full equality, and that is the tenor that has come through some of the debate … will fail them. Building on the Gender Recognition Act 2015, it is clear that we need to reform and review our healthcare system, and inculcate the need not just a real pathway, but also the delivery of gender-affirming healthcare. We owe that to our trans friends, colleagues

must strategically position itself to harness AI for future prosperity. We have a strong foundation in last year's refreshed AI strategy. I pay tribute to the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, for their work on this important brief in the last Dáil … that women are 20% less likely to have used ChatGPT compared with men in similar occupations. We need to ensure there is no gender gap in the adoption and use of AI. We also need to consider older people who may not be as familiar with digital technologies

would have expected. I understand that things have changed slightly and, in Galway, we got a new president who sorted out the gender inequality cases. We remember the Sheehy Skeffington book and the three conditions. The new president sorted that out. Unfortunately, he left early and is gone … more time on that. Nonetheless, as a society, we need to discuss what our universities are there for. We need to bridge the gap that exists between town and gown, as it was called in Galway, so the universities are open to everybody. As the House knows

much about it and I hope that today's discussions will be beneficial to growing the game further. At the outset, I pay tribute to the Irish senior women's and men's teams for their truly inspiring performances over the past few months. The double success … some demand-led funding. Such targeted funding, for example, prioritises the delivery of swimming infrastructure as highlighted in the recently published Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report. Other areas for prioritised investment could be socially deprived areas of our inner cities and facilities therein. We should also consider priority