Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 July 2022
74. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the actions that his Department and bodies under the aegis of his Department are taking to increase recruitment of members of the LGBTQIA+ communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38406/22]
View answerThe Public Appointment Service (PAS) is responsible for undertaking a significant proportion of external recruitment of staff for my Department. The Department fully supports the PAS’ “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy” and will continue to partner with PAS to proactively support recruitment of a workforce that is responsive, accessible, resilient, and reflective of the communities we serve.
Recruitment and promotion competitions managed by the Department adhere to the Code of Practice for Appointment in the Civil and Public Service and are fair, transparent merit based, and guided by the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
In October 2021, the Department’s People Strategy 2021-2024 was launched. Goal 3 of the Strategy aims to “Build an Inclusive and Supportive Workplace”. A crucial element required to achieve this objective is enhancement of the Department’s approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I). This is in line with the Department’s obligations as a public body under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, 2014 and the Civil Service Renewal 2024 Action Plan. It is also a key tenant of our efforts to become an Employer of Choice.
Work is currently underway to develop the Department’s ED&I Strategy which will detail the actions required to advance the Department’s ED&I objectives over the next three years. The strategy will set out a coherent structure and direction for my Department’s approach to ED&I, including broadening our focus on diversity across all nine grounds covered by equality legislation including sexual orientation.
As part of the Department's Learning and Career Development offering, my Department manages a diverse programme of events including information sessions hosted by Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) which focused primarily on gender expression, and "How to be an Ally" hosted by the then Department of Justice and Equality, focusing on supporting the equal civil rights and gender equality of members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
My Department also offers self-guided eLearning on “Equality and Human Rights in the Public Service” created by The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Through its training and education offerings my Department remains committed to promoting inclusion, acceptance and awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community as it continues to drive its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda.
The Department's LGBTQIA+ staff-led network, ‘Pride in Enterprise’, held its inaugural meeting on the 1st of May 2019. The Network is for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies alike and is an avenue of support to colleagues in the Department who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as LGBTQIA+ allies, including parents who work in the Department whose children may be members of the Community.
The Department is an equal opportunities employer and will continue to drive equality, inclusion and diversity through the embedding of the above actions and the creation of new actions through its ED&I policy.
In relation to the agencies under my remit, please note the following information provided by them:
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Agency |
Response |
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Competition Consumer Protection Commission(CCPC) |
The CCPC partners with a Recruitment Agency when recruiting all of its employees. This approach to recruitment ensures we are fully up to date with modern recruitment and talent acquisition policies and programmes whilst also allowing us to advertise to a larger/ diverse candidate pool. |
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Corporate Enforcement Agency (CEA) |
All personnel in place to date hold DETE contracts and as such DETE’s response applies. |
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Health and Safety Authority (HSA) |
The Health and Safety Authority is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourages applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Acts. In all recruitment competitions, the Authority is proactive in communicating that applications are welcomed from potential candidates from all nine grounds protected under that legislation. |
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InterTrade Ireland |
InterTrade Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons |
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Personal Injury Assessment Board (PIAB) |
PIAB in all recruitment advertisements and campaigns advise all potential applicants that PIAB is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to championing an inclusive and diverse workforce that reflects modern Ireland and the people we serve. PIAB strive to create a culture where all staff have equal access to opportunity and feel comfortable and confident to be themselves at work. |
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Enterprise Ireland |
Enterprise Ireland is a diverse organisation, with multiple cultures in our 40 global offices. Enterprise Ireland believes in and is dedicated to equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring opportunities for all. In line with our values of ‘We are One Team’ we celebrate and harness the diversity, individuality, commitment & talents of all our people, to maximise our impact. We further commit to being a E,D & I role model for all our stakeholders, to demonstrate a leadership position in our role supporting a base of over 5,000 Irish export-oriented companies. EI is currently working on developing our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion statement and action plan, which will form a key pillar of our upcoming People Strategy. This work has been enabled by a steering group, who have overseen an Investors in Diversity survey, followed by focus groups. In addition Leadership training covering gender, LGBTQ+ and unconscious bias has been undertaken. To date the organisation has achieved bronze certification from the Irish Centre for Diversity, with ambitions to progress beyond this as part of our Strategy action plan. The promotion of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, across a range of areas, including LGBTQ+, is a core commitment and we partnered with Open Doors with a webinar specifically around steps we can take to ensure we support and promote a welcoming environment for members of the LGBTQ+ community. This was further in evidence with the celebration worldwide of PRIDE across our offices, as a viable signal of our commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment where all our employees can be themselves at work. |
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IDA Ireland |
IDA Ireland operates a policy of Dignity and Respect in the Workplace, which is also used to inform its recruitment policy and process. The Agency is always working to ensure that its recruitment process is equal, diverse and inclusive to members of underrepresented persons such as LGBTQIA+. Along with being an equal opportunities employer, the Agency is also a member of the Open Doors Initiative - which supports marginalised communities such as LGBTIQ+, to find employment. IDA also partners with the Open Doors Initiative for policy and process reviews (such as recruitment and its Gender Expression & Identity Policy) to ensure the Agency supports a wider and more diverse talent pipeline and onboarding. In addition, when appropriate, job specifications are regularly forwarded to the Open Doors Initiative for circulation to their wider network to support diversity within the talent pipeline. IDA also invests in the LGBTQ+ education of its leadership and recruitment teams with Unconscious Bias Training. IDA also partner with LGBTQIA+ organisations such as ShoutOut and BelongTo for further education and discussions to expand awareness of the community. |
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Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) |
IAASA is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. |
