Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jan 2000

Vol. 513 No. 1

Written Answers. - Departmental Correspondence.

John Gormley

Question:

157 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has received a copy of a statement from a person (details supplied) in Dublin 3 in relation to his employment as a health worker; and her views in relation to the proposals contained in his statement. [1567/00]

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Mr. T. Kitt):

I received a copy of correspondence from the person referred to by the Deputy concerning that person's employment as a health worker. The correspondence concerns a number of issues, some of which are not the responsibility of my Department.

In relation to the issue of workplace bullying, a task force on the prevention of workplace bullying, which I set up some time ago, is operating under the auspices of the Health and Safety Authority and is due to report at the end of March.

The task force is examining workplace bullying in detail and is focusing on identifying the size of the problem and the employment sectors most at risk, as well as developing proposals for practical programmes and strategies, both to prevent workplace bullying, and to provide an appropriate response from the relevant State agencies. The membership of the task force is drawn from a number of Government Departments and State agencies and from IBEC and the ICTU.

Anyone who wishes to make a submission to this task force on the issue of workplace bullying may do so by directly contacting the task force secretariat at the Health and Safety Authority, 10 Hogan Place, Dublin 2 or at tel. no. 01-6147000, at fax no. 01-614 7021 or by e-mail at bully–[e-mail]. I have arranged for the correspondence from the person referred to by the Deputy to be forwarded to the task force for consideration in the context of its work as outlined above.

Under section 12 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, every employer must prepare a written safety statement which should be based on an identification and assessment of all hazards and risks in the workplace and which should specify the way in which the safety, health and welfare of employees is to be secured. The authority recommends that details of an anti-bullying policy should be included in this safety statement.