Victor Boyhan backs bill to add socioeconomic status to equality law

Thank you. Firstly, I want to welcome the Minister. I want to thank your officials, who put a lot of work into this. I also want to acknowledge the proposals of this bill, Senators Andrews, Ryan, Murphy, Collins, Tully and McCormick. I support this bill. When you go looking at it, you realise that this is in a long time in gestation. At the very outside, I want to thank the Oireachtas Libyan Research, who prepared a paper in advance of this debate here today. I think it was very interesting because one of the great things about our Libyan Oireachtas service, it is a service that is full of integrity. It's independent validation and gives us the confidence to stand in here and quote the legislation in the proper context, but also the background of the legislation, the background of where this has come from. As previous Senators have said, this is not altogether new. So just to take and make a few points, Minister, we are dealing here today with the Equality and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill of 2025. It is a private member's business in the name of Sinn Féin Senators here. I suppose just to set again the context, because I am always conscious when we are discussing things in here, many of these programmes are read out tonight on Oireachtas report. If you are halfway through something, you are not quite sure what is going on. But the purpose of this bill is to introduce a new ground for discrimination in the Irish equality law on the basis of disadvantaged and socioeconomic status. And I think that is important. And in that context, you know, on the 13th of May 2025, Senator Andrews initiated the Equality Miscellaneous Bill. And that was in the Senate. And people were here. And I think generally afterwards, I think he got a lot of favourable support. But that is politics for you. People all tell you down the corridor, down the stairs, they are going to support. And when you look around, you ask, where are they? But look, other people are doing other things today and other committees, and I respect that and accept that. So the purpose of this bill is to expand the protection of both Acts, the Employment Equality Act of 1998 to 2021, and the Equal Status Act of 2000 to 2018, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disadvantaged and socioeconomic status, as I've said. So let's set the legislative context about this. Currently, discrimination is prohibited by the Employment Equality Act of 1998 to 2021, and the Equal Status Act, so that employment and access to goods and services, respectively, across the following nine grounds, which you've already set out yourself, Senator, so I'm not going to repeat them. I looked then at the previous private members' bills in relation to this. So a similar bill of the Equality and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill of 2021 was initiated in Dáil Éireann on 27 January 2021, which was sponsored by, of course, then RTD, Chris Andrews, and by Violet Ann Wynne. And that was at second stage debate. Dáil Éireann passed the following motion on the 1st of March 2023, and it says Dáil Éireann resolves that the Equality and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2021 be deemed to be read a second time this day, 18 months, to allow for the time to follow for an examination and the introduction of disadvantaged socioeconomic status and an additional grant of Equality Acts in the context of the review of the Equality Acts currently underway in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. OK, the bill then fell because of the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil. So there's a long lead-in time. I think that's the point really I'm sort of making. Now I accept you're a new minister, there are new dynamics, there's a new government, there's a new programme for government, there are new priorities, and you can't get everything through in a programme for government. So you have to, you know, recalibrate your priorities. Politically, it's a coalition government, so there are compromises as well, and that's political pragmatism, and I understand all and how all that works. Then on the 28th of June, going back further, on the 28th of June 2017, the Equality and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2017, then a private member's business was also initiated in Dáil Éireann. And on 2017, the bill was sponsored by our now Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan TD, a fine legislator and a fine minister and a fine politician with vast experience in legislation and the preparation of legislation. But he was very happy to put his name to it, to speak to it and to endorse it. And of course, we had Fiona O'Lachlan, then a TD, again supporting that, and again now here in the Senate. So there's a long lead-in, and I suppose that's really the point I'm going to make. I'm not going to push it too much other than to say that in 2024, Minister, and you'll be aware of this, the United Nations Committee on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights, recommended the following to Ireland. Adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that includes explicit references to all prohibited grounds of discrimination, including social economic status. So enough of that, enough people have spoken. I just want to finish by touching on the amendment. I think given the amount of time, given in the lead time, given all the promises, I think it is important that the focus be on getting this legislation. Are we all committed to getting this legislation across? I'd like to think we all are. The time frame may be different for different people. There may be reasons. And I suppose I just want to touch on something. We must, and I have yet to hear what you have to say, Minister, and I know you'll be speaking, and I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say, because that would be an important part of my own consideration here today. But yes, we have to have robust legislation. We have to have absolute clarity about the legislation. We have to make sure, and we cross off any unintended consequences of any legislation. There are three important facets. You're the Minister, and therefore you would know other competing issues around some of them that we may not be fully aware of. But I do, and I would have liked to think that we could shorten the period from 12 months, possibly to three months. Maybe that's too much to ask. Maybe there's too much lead in time. Minister, you know your resources, you know your expertise, and the people available to you on this legislation, which is only one segment of many pieces of legislation that you're championing and pushing through the houses. And I wish you well with all of that. But I think we should send out a clear message here today that we're all supportive of this legislation. The timeline of its implementation, the robustness of the legislation, the fact that it's thoroughly examined so that it raises any concerns. And I'd like to hear, if there are shortcomings on this legislation, Minister, I'd like to hear, as this is a two-way process here, I'd like to hear what they are. But in essence, I am supportive of this legislation. I'm just not too sure if we can reach a compromise between what's been suggested and what your amendment, this time amendment, of which we've now had two or three in the last two or three weeks. It's a bit concerning. I'm here 10 years, and I mean, I'm amazed that we should have so many time amendments in such a very short period of time. It's something that I'm not familiar with or used to. And I wouldn't like to see it becoming a habit. We have a role in the opposition here in these houses to tease out legislation respectfully and robustly. And I know that's a two-way process. Thank you, Minister.