Separated mother gets €1,000 for discrimination over grant
An officer of the Equality Tribunal found that the local authority did not ask non-separated or single parents in the same way to reaffirm their declaration on the application form by way of affidavit.
The name of the woman and the local authority have been withheld to protect the family’s identity.
She was awarded €1,000 in compensation for the hurt and humiliation suffered as a result of being discriminated against on grounds of marital status.
The local authority claimed it was following Department of Education guidelines on administration of higher education grants.
The equality officer agreed that the guidelines allow the seeking of an affidavit about a parent’s separation, but she ruled that they do not empower local authorities to use such an affidavit to seek additional information.
“It would appear that it is only parents that are not living together that are asked to reaffirm for the local authority, by way of affidavit, that the declaration they made on the application form with regard to income and means is inaccurate,” the officer said.
In another decision published by the Equality Tribunal, University College Dublin was ordered to pay €5,000 in compensation to a researcher on grounds of gender discrimination. Dr Kevina Doorty had begun a two-year research contract with the university’s pharmacology department in October 2000 but was placed on health and safety leave two months after telling her employer she was pregnant.
The university denied discrimination and said it had to consider providing alternative work for Dr Doorty after a risk assessment found the laboratory and office were unsuitable for her to continue working in. But, UCD claimed, there were no suitable alternatives because she was employed in a specific funded research post.
The tribunal has also ordered €2,500 be paid to artist Seán Clifford by artists’ affiliation group Aosdána after telling him membership was restricted to people over 30 when he enquired in October 2001 at the age of 26.
Aosdána argued it was not covered by the relevant section of the Equal Status Act, saying it is not an organisation of artists, but rather an honours system.
