Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
1392. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department, and public bodies and agencies under her remit, have an anti-racism policy which can be accessed by the public; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27680/23]
View answerWhile my Department does not have a specific anti-racism policy, all staff are subject to the Dignity at Work policy which is the anti-bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy for the Irish civil service. This policy defines nine specific discriminatory grounds of harassment, one of which is race.
In addition, my Department's Customer Charter and Action Plan states that it's objective is to "ensure the rights to equal treatment established by equality legislation, and accommodate diversity, so as to contribute to equality for the groups covered by the equality legislation (on the grounds of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller Community)." The charter is published on www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/94a93a-customer-service/
There are 4 agencies under the aegis of my Department: Water Safety Ireland (WSI), Pobal, the Western Development Commission (WDC) and the Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA). The day to day operational matters of the agencies, including human resource issues and regulations, are a matter for their Boards and CEOs.
