Gender Equality

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

Questions (874)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

874. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress made on the equality objectives of her Department specifically in relation to women. [11080/22]

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Written answers

Minister for Rural and Community Development

My Department is dedicated to the fair and equal treatment of all staff and stakeholders. Our programmes, policies and practices promote and advance social justice, equality and diversity across the range of interventions and supports to communities .

Equality and inclusion form a cornerstone of my Department’s values and it is an equal opportunities employer.

The Department is committed to human rights, equality and anti-discrimination in accordance with the Public Sector Duty obligation of the Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, 2014 and we have set up a working group to progress actions under this obligation.

The Department’s People Strategy, commits to the promotion of gender equality as prescribed through Action 8.5 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan. In this context, the Department has developed its own Gender Action Plan following a thorough staff consultation and engagement process in 2021. This plan will enhance and deliver on gender balance and gender equality measures as a key priority over the coming years. My Department will shortly be drafting it’s new People Strategy 2022 – 2024 and it will contain further measures which build on, and further enhance, existing measures in place.

A breakdown of Department staff by gender, by grade is presented in the following table:

Grade	Male	Female	Total
Sec Gen (Assistant Secretary is currently acting Secretary General and is listed below) vacancy at present	0	1* (*acting)	0
A Sec	1	2	3
PO	7	4	11
AP	12	14	26
HEO	14	28	42
AO	3	5	8
EO	13	21	34
CO	10	24	34
TCO	0	1	1
SVO	1	0	1
PTP	1	0	1
Technical Grade	3	2	5
Advisor	1	1	2
Drivers	1	1	2
Total	67	103	170