Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
720. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if their Department has had the need to contact An Garda Síochána due to verbal, written (including electronically) or physical threats being addressed to staff or Ministers, at any level, working within their Department during the period 2020 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11602/24]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection provides services via email, phone and face to face for a wide range of customers.
Staff throughout the department are encouraged to report any instances of threats or violence on our online Health and Safety Incident App .
The annual number of incidents of all forms of threats where An Garda Síochána were contacted are set out in the table below:
|
Year |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 (to date) |
Total |
|
No. of Incidents requiring Gardai |
67 |
58 |
70 |
114 |
19 |
328 |
It should be noted that Health and Safety Reports of all Incidents involving threats, violence or aggression, even when it was not necessary to call AGS, are sent to the Garda HQ, National Crime Prevention Unit on a monthly basis and disseminated to local Units. The information in these Reports is limited to the details of the incident and anonymised to remove any personal details of both staff members and service users.
The health, safety and wellbeing of staff is a priority for the department. Health and Safety Section, and our Regional Safety Advisers provide support and guidance to managers and staff as required.
Support is also readily available through the Civil Service Employee Assistance Service (CSEAS) for anyone affected by incidents in the course of provision of customer facing services.
