File 4 - Council of State Part 4

168pp

Material relating to the convening of the Council of State to examine the Employment Equality Bill, 1996, following summoning to do so by President Mary Robinson (MR), including letters from organisations and the public to MR voicing concerns with the Bill. It includes correspondence from The Campaign to Separate Church and State who felt section 37 of the Bill was unconstitutional and incompatible with Ireland's obligations in international law, 02/1997, typed letter expressing concerns the Bill gave powers to religious organisations to refuse employment to a teacher or nurse or admission to a child to protect the religious ethos of the organisation, 27/02/1997 and photocopies of other anonymised handwritten communication; correspondence from the Equality Campaign in relation to the Bill, concerns they had, and their belief it would be in the public interest to refer sections of the Bill to the Supreme Court, 17-26/02/1997; transcript of Seanad Éireann Employment Equality Bill, 1996: Committee Stage (Resumed), 12th March and report stage, 12th March; memo from Peter Ryan (PR), Secretary to the President, in relation to arguments for and against referral of the Bill to the Supreme Court, 19/03/1997; photocopies of Employment Equality Bill, 1996 as passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas; memos from PR of action to be taken if Bill was or was not being referred, along with draft press releases covering both possibilities, [March?], 1997 and in relation to draft schedule for Council of State Meeting and notice convening it, 21/03-01/04/1997; typed agenda and seating arrangements for meeting of Council of State, 01/04/1997, and seating plan for formal photograph; fax of draft report of meeting, sent from PR to MR, 01/04/1997; photocopy of faxed letter from Dr Michael McKillen, to MR pushing for MR to refer the bill to the Supreme Court, 01/04/1997; letter from Geraldine O'Farrell FitzGerald with note she was asked to write it by Board of Management Members when applying for a job as a National School teacher, and letter dating from 1995 from her husband where he stated that allegations about his private life [that he was a Jehovah's Witness] which he claimed were circulating and false could have bearing on his wife's application, faxed with cover note from PR, 02/04/1997; cutting from Irish Times, 02/04/1997 of photograph of Council of State, and articles on the convening of the Council.

Ref: P143/4/14/12/4

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