Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 July 2022
448. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice the actions that her Department and bodies under the aegis of her Department are taking to increase recruitment of members of the LGBTQIA+ communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38413/22]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Public Appointments Service (PAS), as the centralised provider of recruitment and selection services for the civil service, manage a majority of recruitment competitions pertaining to vacancies in my Department or in bodies under the aegis of my Department.
I am aware that PAS have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021-2023, which is available on www.publicjobs.ie and which acknowledges the value and importance of attracting and welcoming a workforce that is responsive, accessible, resilient and reflective of the communities it serves. My Department shares this value and is committed to building and maintaining an inclusive workplace environment, which enables, supports and encourages contributions from all members of staff. To that end, I am committed to ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in my Department’s internal policies and procedures.
As the Deputy may be aware, my Department launched its first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy in March 2022. The Strategy aims to strengthen the Department’s capabilities to promote equality, embrace diversity and foster inclusion, not only in our daily interactions and activities as colleagues, but also in the design and delivery of the services that we provide to the public.
The EDI Strategy prioritises three main areas of focus for strategic impact:
- achieve better policy outcomes and improve the accessibility and quality of our services;
- support the development of a skilled and diverse workforce which is reflective of the diversity within our population / country;
- build and embed a workplace culture which facilitates, supports and encourages contributions from all.
Each of these strategic outcomes are underpinned by a number of actions which the Department will implement over the life of the EDI Strategy. These actions will be integrated into our business plans including adding appropriate indicators and monitored along with other organisation goals and strategic priorities. For example, as part of our objective to support the development of a skilled and diverse workforce, training on a range of EDI related areas such as disability awareness, intercultural relations, managing inclusivity will be rolled out and embedded in training programmes and induction.
We live in a diverse and welcoming country and our values and processes should reflect this.
I can assure the Deputy that my Department will proactively collaborate with PAS and other key stakeholders on recruitment & retention initiatives that support our EDI agenda, including by working to ensure eligible candidates from all communities in Ireland today, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, are supported and encouraged to apply for any applicable competitions as they may arise.
