Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 November 2006
92 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the ESRI has completed its survey on workplace bullying that he commissioned since the report of the Expert Group on Workplace Bullying; when the details of this survey will be reported; when he will take the necessary steps to implement the proposals of the report launched by him on 17 August 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37724/06]
View answer161 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the Health and Safety Authority will update the 2002 Code of Practice on Workplace Bullying to bring it into line with the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 as recommended by him. [37767/06]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 161 together.
The Report of the Expert Advisory Group on Workplace Bullying was launched and published by me on the 17th August 2005 and it follows on from a 2001 Report by the Taskforce on the Prevention of Workplace Bullying. The recommendations of the 2001 Taskforce were implemented.
One of the recommendations in the 2005 Report of the Expert Advisory Group was that a follow up survey on workplace bullying, similar to that commissioned for the 2001 report, be conducted as soon as practicable to establish a baseline from which the effectiveness of the new structures and processes would be measured. This Department has commissioned the ESRI to carry out this survey, which is currently ongoing. It is expected that the survey will be completed in early 2007. I have already given a commitment to publish the results of the survey.
In the meantime, I have asked the Health and Safety Authority to update the 2002 Code of Practice on Workplace Bullying (one of the recommendations of the 2001 Report) and bring it in line with the 2005 Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act. I expect that the Authority will be in a position to publish a draft of the Code of Practice very soon as part of the statutory requirement on consultations with the public. I also expect to receive the Code from the Authority early in the New Year for approval under the 2005 Act.
