The bill introduces a new ground of discrimination, known as “mental health status”, which will be prohibited under the Employment Equality Act 1998 and Equal Status Act 2000. The Irish equality legislation will be amended to ensure that no person can be discriminated against on the basis that they have a mental health problem.
Under the current law, it is unlawful to discriminate against an individual who suffers from a disability and this includes mental illness. However, the ground is currently restricted to a narrow medical definition. The new ground of “mental health status” is a much broader definition and includes a person’s emotional, psychological and social well-being. It will give mental health a human rights-based definition and will bring Ireland in line with International standards.
Link: http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/bills28/bills/2017/13117/b13117d.pdf
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