Holly Cairns
Question:143. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Taoiseach the steps he is taking to identify and address gender pay disparity in his Department and public bodies and agencies that operate under his remit. [17369/22]
View answerTuesday, 5 April 2022
Questions (143)
Written answers
Both my Department and the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), the only body under the aegis of my Department, actively support diversity and inclusion in the workplace including gender balance. The Human Resources units in both organisations keep gender balance under ongoing review.
As at 1 April 2022, the gender balance of staff in my Department (excluding politically appointed staff) is 63% female and 37% male. Of the 9 members on my Department’s Management Committee, 4 are female and 5 are male. The gender balance at Assistant Secretary level in my Department is 60% female and 40% male. My Department has a strong pipeline of future female leaders with 50% of its Principal Officers and 73% of its Assistant Principal Officers being female. The gender balance of all staff in NESDO is 76% female and 24% male and the gender balance of Management / Analysts staff in NESDO is 69% female and 31% male.
Recruitment to my Department and NESDO is, in the main, undertaken through the Public Appointments Service who plays a central role in recruiting diverse talent to take up public service employment opportunities and who recently launched their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy 2021-2023.
Rates of remuneration are based on pay-scales set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. These scales take into account grade and seniority and are unaffected by gender.
Both my Department and NESDO (a small body with 17 staff) will report on the gender pay gap in due course, as required under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act, 2021.