Jim Higgins
Question:35 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education if she has satisfied herself that gender balance is evident in terms of appointment of staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Gender Balance.
Alan Shatter
Question:71 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Education the action, if any, she has taken to gender proof recent senior appointments at official level in her Department; and whether her attention has been drawn to the published list of senior officers in her Department which discloses that the overwhelming majority are men.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 71 together.
I am not happy with the gender balance in the senior management level in my Department. This was reflected in the published list of senior officers. This is a matter of concern to me. I would very much like to see the position improve in the future.
The Deputy will be aware, however, that the process of appointment to Secretary and Assistant Secretary posts is organised by the Top Level Management Committee. I would not wish to interfere with that process.
There were 33 internal promotions of general service staff in my Department since I took up office. Of these 18 promotions were females and 15 were males.
Senior general service appointments which have been made since my appointment include a director of communications, two principal officers and two assistant principals. Of these appointees three were male and two were female.
My Department is an equal opportunities employer and fully subscribes to the equal opportunities policy and guidelines for the Civil Service. The objective of this policy is to ensure that all staff have an equal chance to develop their potential and to advance on the basis of merit and ability.
To create an environment where all employees, men and women, are seen to have equal opportunities my Department accepts that there is a special responsibility on those who are involved in making decisions about career development of staff and about recruitment, placement selection and interviewing.
Bearing this in mind I am fully supportive of my Department's pro-active role in putting in place a new developed promotion procedure and of their initiatives on equal opportunities in the context of staff development. The initiatives take particular cognisance of the special needs of women. I will be delighted to give the Deputy the details of these widely welcomed initiatives if he is interested in further information on them.
Does the Minister recall that the Joint Programme for a Partnership Government emphasised the need for gender balance? Does she recall also that recently in the newspapers she warned the regional technical colleges and the Dublin colleges of technology about appointing females to management boards? Does she acknowledge that within her Department the position is far from satisfactory and that an indication of her gross hypocrisy in this regard is the fact that the Secretary and five Assistant Secretaries of the Department are male. Of the 21 principal officers in the Department, 18 are male and three are female. Where the Minister had direct jurisdiction she appointed males to the top positions of programme manager, special adviser and director of communications. Does the Minister not consider that adequate female talent is available within her Department for top positions?
I share Deputy Higgins's concern about gender balance in the Department. The figures I have given regarding the promotions made since I took up office show that there is more than a gender balance. The appointment of Secretary and Assistant Secretary is made by the Top Level Management Committee. However, programmes are in place within the Department which will ensure that a sufficient number of women will be appointed and we will not need to concern ourselves with the issue of gender balance.
Two initiatives were taken in 1993. We have been involved in an inter-organisational development programme with An Post in respect of the clerical staff grade which was successful. We were also involved in an integrated development programme for job sharers, regardless of grade. Outside organisations were impressed by these programmes and we will be happy to share information regarding the shortcomings and successes of those programmes with those interested.
I am conscious of the gender imbalance at senior level in the Department. When selecting participants for an intensive training in management skills the training unit focused on women managers. As part of that process two female senior managers were selected to attend an intensive management programme. Those officers will now play a key part in the 1994 training programme. We have an ongoing involvement in the committee monitoring the recommendations of the Second Commission on the Status of Women regarding the promotion and availability of women within the Civil Service.
That is fine rhetoric from the Minister. How can she insist with any moral authority that various agencies and colleges would adopt quotas, whether 40 per cent or otherwise, in relation to female employment within her Department when she deliberately, flouts the guidelines? The acid test is whether the Minister is prepared to introduce legislation to guarantee a specific number of places for females within her Department?
I must refer to the question and my reply. I said I was unhappy with the position but since I took up office of the 33 internal promotions 18 were female and 15 male. Regarding the five promotions at senior general service grade, three were males and two females. We are conscious of our responsibility and are pro-active in our programme. If Deputy Higgins would like to make an annual check on gender balance I am sure that I will be able to report that men and women within the Civil Service were promoted according to their ability and not their gender.