Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
863. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children; Disability and Equality the key equality measures during 2025; her priorities for same in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72476/25]
View answerThe Department's forthcoming Statement of Strategy 2025-2028 will set out the goals which we aim to achieve across a range of policy areas over this period. The Department's activities in meeting these goals are outlined in its Annual Reports.
With regard to equality matters, my focus is on supporting the rights and aspirations of some of the most vulnerable groups in society. Some of the key measures that I have overseen in this space in 2025, as well as my priorities for 2026, are laid out below. These include measures aimed at improving the lives of and increasing opportunities available to those with disabilities, Travellers and Roma, the lgtbtiq+ community and women and girls.
The National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 was launched by Government on 3rd September 2025. It is a whole-of-government framework for the advancement of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and articulates commitments across education, employment, health, transport and independent living in the community.
In December 2025, the First Programme Plan of Action 2025-2026 was published detailing priority measures across 2025 and 2026 to deliver on the Strategy’s overarching commitments.
The implementation of actions under the nine themes of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028 (NTRIS II) is ongoing. The second meeting of the NTRIS II Steering Committee took place on 17 September 2025, and two six-monthly progress updates have been published on the Traveller and Roma Inclusion webpages (gov.ie).
Equality measures under the NTRIS II focus on improving Traveller and Roma lives and on promoting equal participation and access to education, employment, health and housing and promoting a positive culture of respect for and protection of Traveller and Roma cultural identities. Key initiatives also include combatting racism and discrimination against Travellers and Roma and the ongoing implementation of the National Traveller Health Action Plan and the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy, as part of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II.
Priorities for 2026 include the continued implementation of the NTRIS II Action Plan 2024-2026 and the development of the second two-year NTRIS II Action Plan for 2027-2028.
The National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028 (NLIS II) and accompanying first Action Plan 2025-2026 was launched on 12 June 2025. The first six monthly progress report on implementation of NLIS II actions, for the period of January to June 2025, was published on the gov.ie website.
Implementation of the Action Plan in 2025 included the rollout of the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community Service Fund. Under the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund, a total of €1,724,268 in funding was disbursed to 42 organisations to support the LGBTIQ+ community in a range of ways including frontline community supports, counselling services, youth supports and Pride celebrations. Priorities for 2026 include the continued implementation of NLIS II Action Plan 2025-2026 and development of second NLIS II Action for 2027-2028.
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 introduced legal obligations for annual gender pay gap reporting in Ireland. This year, Ireland extended reporting obligations to employer with over 50 employees. The Department also created a centralised database-the Gender Pay Gap portal, which opened on a voluntary basis this year and will be mandatory for relevant employers next year. The system will allow the public to search for and compare employers and sectors, and help our understanding of the gender pay gap and how to eliminate it. 400 employers have now registered on the portal, and 198 reports have been submitted and approved.
In 2025, Ireland fully transposed the EU Gender Balance on Listed Corporate Boards Directive in 2025. The Directive stipulates that at least 40% of non-executive director positions should be held by members of the under-represented sex by 2026. In the coming year, the Department will engage with companies to ensure they are aware of their new obligations. The information required under the EU ‘Women on Boards’ Directive will be collected via Gender Pay Gap Portal.
On 18 November, I launched The National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030; Ireland’s plan for advancing gender equality over the next five years. The Strategy has a single, simple vision: An Ireland where women and girls can thrive in a gender-equal society. Implementation of the Strategy will be facilitated through two action plans, the first of which will be published early in 2026.
Following a review of Ireland’s equality legislation, a General Scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill was approved by Government in November 2024. This was referred for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Equality. The Committee issued its pre-legislative scrutiny report on the Bill in October, and officials are currently examining the recommendations in this report while work is ongoing on drafting the bill. Completion of the drafting process and passage of the Bill will be priorities for 2026.
The Directives on Standards for Equality Bodies set minimum requirements for the effective and independent operation of Equality Bodies in a number of key areas, in order to allow them to carry out their work more effectively in all Member States and to ensure a more uniform application of EU equal treatment law. It is a key priority for my Department that legislation to transpose the Directives will be in place by the deadline for transposition in June 2026.
I also hope to publish the Equality Data Strategy 2026-2031 shortly. This Strategy will set out priorities for the collection and use of equality data to improve evidence-based policy-making with greater positive impacts for equality in 2026 and the years to follow.
