The Government has published the much-anticipated Gender Pay Gap
Information Bill 2019. The Bill has been presented to Dáil
Éireann where it now awaits Second Stage.
The Bill, once enacted, will amend the Employment Equality Acts
1998 to 2015 to require the Minister for Justice and Equality to
make regulations requiring certain employers to publish information
relating to the gender pay gap in their organisations. Employers
will also be required to publish the measures taken by them to
eliminate or reduce the gender pay gap.
Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, said
that the aim of the Bill is to provide transparency on the gender
pay gap in organisations. It is his belief that firms which can
report a low or non-existent pay gap will be at an advantage in
recruiting future employees and that mandatory reporting will
incentivise employers to take measures to address the issue insofar
as they can.
