S.I. No. 176/1985:

EMPLOYMENT EQUALITY ACT, 1977 (EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES IN MINES) ORDER, 1984.

EMPLOYMENT EQUALITY ACT, 1977 (EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES IN MINES) ORDER, 1984.

I, RUAIRÍ QUINN, Minister for Labour, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 14 (2) of the Employment Equality Act, 1977 (No. 16 of 1977), hereby make the following order after due compliance with section 14 (2) (b) of that Act, and with respect to which, pursuant to section 14 (2) (c) of that Act, a draft has been laid before each House of the Oireachtas and a resolution approving of the draft has been passed by each such House:

1. This Order may be cited as the Employment Equality Act. 1977 (Employment of Females in Mines) Order, 1984.

2. The Mines and Quarries Act, 1965 (No. 7 of 1965), is hereby amended by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1) of Section 107:

"(1A) Subsection (1) shall not apply in relation to--

( a ) females holding positions of management who do not perform manual work,

( b ) females employed in health and welfare services,

( c ) females who, in the course of their studies, spend a period of training below ground at a mine, and

( d ) any other females who may occasionally have to go below ground at a mine for the purpose of a non-manual occupation.".

3. The Mines and Quarries Act, 1965 , is hereby amended by the substitution of the following for subsections (1) and (4), respectively, of section 110:

"(1) A young person shall not be employed at a mine except in accordance with this section.

(4) The interval between periods of employment for a young person whose age is not less than sixteen years shall, subject to subsection (5), include a continuous period of seven hours falling between 10 o'clock in the evening and 7 o'clock in the morning.".

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 18th day of June, 1985.

RUAIRÍ QUINN,

Minister for Labour.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

The general effect of this Order is to allow women in non-manual occupations to work below ground in a mine.

The Order also ends a prohibition on the employment of women at night in mines.