Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 March 2025
54. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the success ratio of cases involving reasonable accommodation adjudicated on at the Workplace Relations Commission, under the Employment Equality Act 1998-2015, and under the Equal Status Acts 2000-2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14310/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 prohibit discrimination across nine protected grounds in employment and in the provision of goods and services. The prohibited grounds include gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, and membership of the traveller community. The Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 has inserted a tenth ground in the provision of accommodation only; the “housing assistance” ground.
Whilst the Acts place certain obligations on service providers and employers to make reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities, reasonable accommodation is not of itself a prohibited ground of discrimination under the Acts.
If someone considers that they have been discriminated against on the basis of their disability, they can bring a complaint for adjudication to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The WRC is an independent statutory office under the aegis of my Department. The WRC’s primary functions include the inspection of employment law compliance, the provision of information on employment law, mediation, adjudication, conciliation, and advisory services.
In 2024, the WRC received 1,156 complaints under the Employment Equality Acts, citing 1,617 grounds of discrimination. In relation to the protected ground of Disability, 410 complaints were referred, of which 28 complaints were rejected in the Adjudication Officer’s decision and 9 were upheld. The remainder were either withdrawn, settled, resolved by mediation or have yet to be heard and decided upon.
Also in 2024, 615 complaints were received by the WRC under the Equal Status Acts, citing 1,089 grounds of discrimination; with 192 of those related to Disability grounds. Of the complaints that were adjudicated and a decision made, 9 were rejected and 4 upheld. The remainder were either withdrawn/settled, resolved by mediation or are awaiting a decision and/or hearing.
