Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
211. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to provide details on the measures his Department has taken to implement specific action points (details supplied) of the action plan to support the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019-2021. [40237/23]
View answerThe National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019-2021 set out a comprehensive strategic framework for addressing LGBTI+ equality centred around four main areas: visibility, equality, health and safety. The Strategy presented a coordinated approach to addressing the needs of LGBTI+ people and involved all Government Departments and many public agencies.
The establishment of the FinPER Pride Network, which is comprised of staff from both the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in 2019 followed on from the publication of the Strategy. I joined the Network and other members of the Civil and Public Service as well as my own Fine Gael party’s LGBT group in marching in Dublin Pride 2023.
My Department’s equality and diversity goals are articulated in a number of key strategies and initiatives to which the Department has committed, including the Programme for Government. An example of where this commitment is detailed is found in the Civil Service Renewal Strategy 2030, which acknowledges that Ireland has a growing and increasingly diverse population and sets out our goal of ensuring that our policy and service responses are focused on equality, inclusivity and accessibility.
Within my own Department, we are committed to nurturing a workforce for the future by bringing equality and inclusivity to the fore of our organisational design. We are dedicated to fostering an organisation which works to attract, engage and nurture a diverse and inclusive workforce in order to best serve and reflect Irish society and to empower our staff to continue thriving. Our Department also actively promotes and encourages an organisational culture where every individual treats one another with respect, all contributions are valued, all individuals can feel safe, that they belong and can achieve their full potential.
The Better Public Services strategy, published by my Department, outlines our vision of delivering inclusive, high quality and integrated Public Service provision that meets the needs and improves the lives of the people of Ireland. These commitments include recognising and supporting all employees’ gender identity and gender expression in our approach to policy development to further develop a positive, accepting and supportive work environment where every employee is treated with dignity and respect.
In terms of recruitment, my Department has policy responsibility for recruitment to the Civil Service. As reflected in the Civil Service Renewal 2024 Strategy , the Civil Service is strongly committed to equality of opportunity for all in terms of its recruitment and employment practices, and building a more diverse and inclusive workforce that is reflective of the modern Ireland that it serves. The Public Appointments Service (PAS), which is a body under the aegis of my Department, is the primary recruiter for the Civil Service and some parts of the Public Service. PAS are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce, with the skills and attributes to meet the future challenges of the Public Service.
With regards to the promotion of ED&I across the Civil Service, OneLearning, the Civil Service Learning and Development Shared Service Centre based within my Department, provides staff with the opportunity to undertake a self-guided eLearning module developed by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) on Equality and Human Rights in the Public Service. This eLearning module has been developed to support and enable staff to understand and meet their obligations under the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty (Public Sector Duty) within public bodies and to support the goal to develop more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
In addition, OneLearning and the Civil Service Employee Assistance Service (CSEAS) host at least one Health and Wellbeing webinar a month covering a range of topics, including ED&I from a personal perspective. Three webinars for Civil Servants were hosted in June 2023 to celebrate Pride month:
• Pride Month – Letters and Stripes, delivered by Pride at Work. A presentation on the evolving LGBTQI+ terminology, with an emphasis on understanding pronouns, the differences between sexual orientation, gender identity and biological sex.
• Pride Month – The Journey of Pride, delivered by Pride at Work. On the history of Pride and LGBTQI+ activism and how that activism has shaped and influenced generations of LGBTQI+ people.
• Pride Month - Growing up in Ireland as a transgender woman, delivered by Jenny Behan. A personal account of Jenny’s experience of being a transwoman in Ireland – offering an insight into her experiences before and after transition and the issues currently facing the Transgender community, and indeed the LGBTQI+ group as a whole.
