Equal Status Act

The Equal Status Act came into force in 2000 and was most recently amended in 2015. Cases brought under this Act are generally dealt with by the Workplace Relations Commission.

This act relates to discrimination and harassment based on nine grounds:

• Age
• Civil Status
• Disability
• Family Status
• Gender
• Membership of the Traveller community
• Race
• Religion
• Sexual Orientation

It also includes a tenth ground of Housing Assistance, which relates to the provision of accommodation only. Please see the Key Definitions page for more details.

The Equal Status Act applies to people who:

• buy and sell a wide variety of goods,
• use or provide a wide range of services,
• obtain or dispose of accommodation,
• attend at, or are in charge of, educational establishments.

It therefore applies throughout Trinity, and all staff (and students providing services) are advised to be aware of its provisions and promote its spirit of fair treatment in their daily business . This short online training course for frontline staff is a very useful starting point.