Ireland's bicameral legislature consists of the Dail (lower house), which has the legislative responsibility, and the Seanad (Senate). Dail members are directly elected by universal suffrage in free and fair elections. The President is head of state and is elected to a 7-year term for a maximum of 2 terms. The Dail is headed by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) who is nominated by the Dail and appointed by the President. The Taoiseach nominates Dail members to make up the Cabinet. Parliamentary elections were last held in May 2002, creating the current government, a coalition of Fianna Fail and the progressive Democrats. Several political parties have seats in both the Dail and the Seanad.

There are 22 women in the 166-seat Dail, 10 women in the 60-seat Senate and 3 women in the 15-member Cabinet. A woman is President, as are 2 of the 8 Supreme Court judges. No minorities were elected to serve in the Dail, the Seanad or the Cabinet. 2 minority council members were elected at the county level. The judiciary is independent both legally and in practice.

The Employment Equality Act prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, age, disability, race or membership in the Traveller (itinerant) community. Discrimination against racial minorities, including immigrants and Travellers, is a problem, with reports of violence against immigrants, racial minorities and Travellers.

Special arrest and detention can be used for those involved in paramilitary organisations.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed in law and in practice, except that press freedom does not extend to text that would "undermine public order or morality or the authority of the state." Moreover, it is against the law to publish or utter "blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter." Nevertheless, the active and independent media express a wide variety of views without government restriction. Books and periodicals are subject to review by the Censorship of Publication Board and the Office of the Film Censor classifies films and videos. Access to the internet is not restricted.

Trafficking in persons in persons is illegal, but NGOs report instances of trafficking. The Child Trafficking and Pornography Act criminalises trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The press reported that 3 English-language schools were being used as fronts to smuggle Eastern European women into the country to have them work as prostitutes; as a result, language-school students are now required to register with the Police National Immigration Bureau and are not allowed to join the labour market unless they are attending a full-time course of at least 1 year in length.

Education is free and compulsory for ages 6 to 15. The Department of Education reports that about 99% of children aged 5 to 16 attend school. Most children complete secondary education. An Ombudsman investigates complaints from children or persons acting on their behalf. Religious instruction is permitted but not required in public schools, and parents may exempt their children from such instruction. Most schools are denominational and, as mandated by the Constitution, the government provides equal funding to schools of different religious denominations. An Islamic school has been opened in Dublin.

The government renewed the Laffoy Commission's mandate to investigate sexual and physical abuse of children in the past in government residential institutions.

A 1-year programme begins at age 3.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 15. Primary school begins at age 4 and continues for 8 years. At this level 1% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 96% (48% female). Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 99% reach the last grade in primary school. 1% of students repeat grades. There are 23,972 primary teachers. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 19 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 12 and is completed in 5 years. At this level 1% of education is private. The NER is 85%.

10,201 students (50% female) study in tertiary institutions, for a Gross Enrolment Rate of 14%. Foreign students come to study in Ireland from North America and Western Europe (6,347), Asia (2,192), the Arab States (599), Sub-Saharan Africa (465), Central and Eastern Europe (271) and Latin America and the Caribbean (79). At the same time, 17,570 Irish students study abroad, mainly in the UK (14,713), the USA (1,020), France (522), Germany (486) and Australia (159).

Discrimination against persons with disabilities in education or in other state services is not reported as a problem. Special education includes students with learning, physical and sensory disabilities. Pupils with special needs are enrolled in mainstream primary schools with special classes, places in mainstream classes and provision of learning support teachers and classroom assistants. The law mandates access to buildings for persons with disabilities, and the government generally enforces these provisions in practice.

The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. The largest numbers of asylum-seekers in Ireland are from Nigeria, Romania and Somalia. Child benefits are not payable to asylum-seekers who arrived in Ireland after the 1 May 2004. Asylum-seekers who complete the Leaving Certificate of secondary school are not normally allowed to take up places in third level (tertiary) education. School attendance is compulsory for refugee children aged 6 to 15.

Social discrimination and racial violence against immigrants and ethnic minorities are increasing. Racially motivated incidents involve physical violence, intimidation and verbal slurs. Some 25,000 traditional itinerant persons regard themselves as a distinct ethnic group called Travellers, with their own history, culture and language. Travellers face social discrimination and report being denied access to premises, goods, facilities and services; some restaurants and pubs refuse to serve them. Despite national school rules that no child may be refused admission on account of social position, Travellers at times experience difficulties enrolling their children in school.

Traveller families live in temporary sites without electricity or sanitary facilities. Many Travellers depend on social welfare for survival and are unable to participate in the mainstream economy because a lack of education. A monitoring committee oversees reforms to address problems encountered by Travellers, but it is considered ineffectual by the Travelling community. The government grants approximately US$130 million (96 million Euros) annually to Traveller community organisations to help the community to address its problems.

Reports do not indicate restrictions of academic freedom.

Discrimination against women in the workplace is prohibited, and there is legislated protection and redress against discrimination based on gender and marital status. Inequalities persist regarding pay and promotion in both public and private sectors. Women constitute 47.5% of the labour force but are under-represented in senior management positions. Working women earn on average 80% as much as working men. The government increased the minimum wage, created more childcare facilities, funded childcare for those in employment training and worked to develop family-friendly polices of work force flexibility. Domestic violence is a problem.

The minimum age for work in a regular, full-time job is 16. Employers may hire children aged 14 or 15 on school holidays for light work as part of an approved work experience or educational program. Children over age 15 can work part time during the school year. The law sets maximum working hours, prohibits the employment of children up to age 18 for late night work and requires employers to keep records for workers under 18. Enforcement of some of the provisions is said to be lax, but violations are rare.

Workers have the right to form and join a trade union, and 33% of workers in the private sector and 95% in the public sector are union members. Police and military personnel may form associations to represent them in negotiations over pay, working conditions and welfare. Collective bargaining occurs, and the right to strike is permitted and exercised in both the public and private sectors, except for police and military personnel.

Forced or compulsory labour is illegal, but reports cite such practices among women trafficked for sexual exploitation. The national minimum wage is US$9.45 (7 euros) an hour, which does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. Low-income families are entitled to benefits such as subsidised housing, medical coverage and children's allowances. Collective agreement provides workers with wages that are considerably higher than the minimum wage and that provide a decent standard of living. The standard work week is 39 hours. The industrial sector is limited to 9 hours a day and 48 hours a week.