Jim Higgins
Ceist:11 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the number of employees in his Department; the grades and gender of the various employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Departmental Staff Statistics.
Jim Higgins
Ceist:16 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the number of employees in his Department; and the grades and gender of the various employees.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 16 together.
There are 55 employees in my Department. Their grade and gender are as follows: one secretary, two assistant secretaries and four principal officers, all of whom are men; 12 assistant principals, of whom six are women; seven higher executive officers, of whom five are women; seven executive officers, of whom four are women; five clerical officers and nine clerical assistant/typists, all of whom are women; two clerical assistant/clericals, one of whom is a woman; two services officers, one of whom is a woman. In addition, there are three non-established civil servants in my Department, one of whom is a woman.
My Department was set up by transferring certain functions and the staff engaged on those functions from other Departments. The principal Departments involved in those transfers were the Departments of Labour, Justice and the Taoiseach.
Permanent civil servants are recruited by competitions run by the Civil Service Commission. Promotions to secretary and assistant secretary grades are made following competitions organised by the Top Level Appointments Committee. Promotions to other grades are made either by competition or on the basis of merit with due regard to seniority.
Since taking up office I have been responsible for recruiting three men and two women and two women have been promoted.
Would the Minister agree that the equality section of his Department was established to ensure gender equity and fair play? How can he exercise political or moral authority in insisting that State agencies and bodies employ the requisite number of females when his credibility has been called into question by the reply he has given? He has said that the secretary of his Department, two assistant secretaries and four principal officers are male. He also neatly sidestepped the fact that two of the posts that he filled himself, the post of partnership programme manager and the post of special adviser, are both held by males. Is it not a case of do as I say but not do as I do?
I would not accept that. The senior officials in my Department were not appointed by me, rather they were seconded, as I said, from other Departments when my Department was set up and constituted. I have no doubt that the question of the procedures within the Civil Service for the appointment of senior officials will be considered by the Government to see if the necessary improvements in the gender balance can be achieved and how they should be achieved. The appointments made by me in my own Department are fully in accordance with the concept of gender balance which has been to the forefront of my mind at all times.
I put it to the Minister that he fills the posts of partnership programme manager and special adviser; they are not filled by the Civil Service Commission. In addition, the Minister has a choice when it comes to the appointment of a driver. Would he agree that the big positions of power and influence within his Department are without exception held by males and that because of this his credibility in relation to his role of policeman has been called into question?
I would not accept that. I appointed one programme manager and it had to be either a man or woman. I do not think any reasonable person would suggest that I should appoint a woman and not a man. I also appointed a legal adviser. Again, I do not think any reasonable person would suggest that I should appoint one gender or the other.
If I were appointing two or more, the position might be different, any reasonable person would accept that. I know Deputy Higgins is doing his best, but his argument is pretty poor.
As Minister for Equality and Law Reform, he should have led by example. Is it the case that he just could not find a woman to fill the position?
The position of programme manager involves particular qualifications and relationships with the Minister who makes the appointment. I am quite satisfied that the programme manager I appointed is working diligently to achieve all those necessary improvements advocated by the Second Commission on the Status of Women. No person could work harder or with more dedication than my programme manager. It was a first class appointment with which I am very happy and I know the Members of the House, particularly the women Members, will see and appreciate the wisdom of the appointment I made in that regard.
Will the Minister agree that, quite apart from the Civil Service, in the public service generally, women dominate the lower rungs of administrative and clerical work? Will the Minister not agree that mobility is the problem? Is his Department looking into positive measures that could be introduced and encouraged throughout the public service and Civil Service to foster the mobility of women through the ranks?
I agree with everything Deputy O'Donnell said today.
The Minister should be a Progressive Democrat.
I agree with the comments Deputy O'Donnell made and those matters are having the attention of the Department.