Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2022
90. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will report on his efforts to introduce mandatory consent classes in third-level institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6195/22]
View answerTackling sexual violence and harassment in our tertiary education system is and will remain, a key policy focus for me and my Department.
The Programme for Government 2020 made a number of commitments in relation to tackling sexual harassment in higher education. These include the implementation of the recommendations of the Framework for Consent in HEIs Report. It also includes expansion of the scope of activities to cover both staff and students.
In August 2020, I wrote to all publicly funded HEIs outlining my commitment to tackling sexual violence and harassment in higher education. In that letter I requested a number of actions in this area. I also expanded the remit of the HEA Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality to cover all areas of equality, diversity and inclusion, including the oversight of the implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs .
As part of monitoring requirements, I have ensured that the HEA requires that institutions report progress on implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs on an annual basis. This is in respect of both staff and students.
In addition to this, the HEI Annual Governance Statements submitted to the HEA require a statement confirming that an institution has an action plan in place to support achievement of the objectives of the Framework for Promoting Consent and Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education and that this action plan is being implemented. In this regard, I am pleased to confirm that all publicly funded higher education institutes have action plans in place.
The Deputy will be aware that I jointly launched the Online Consent Hub on Sexual Consent with Minister McEntee recently. The online consent hub provides, for the first time, a publicly-available, educational resource on sexual consent for young people, their families, and educators who work with them. This hub will be a really important resource and tool for student and wider society. It will play a key part in our overall goal to build a meaningful culture of consent in our campuses, further education settings and in our communities across Ireland.
The Government is committed to raising awareness of the meaning and importance of consent in sexual activity, across all sections of society. It is important that consent training is targeted appropriately. This may involve adaptation to suit the particular circumstances of individual institutions, training that is culturally appropriate to reflect the diverse nature of the student population and delivered in a way that avoids re-traumatising survivors. My Department will continue to work with the Higher Education Authority, third level institutions and students to raise awareness and provide appropriate consent training.
