Vol. 566 No. 5
123 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of bullying and harassment cases being taken by Dúchas employees at Glenveagh National Park; the length of time it will take to complete the investigation; the cost to date of the investigation; and the cost as per the tender if a private company is involved. [13299/03]
Two sets of allegations of bullying and harassment made by employees of my Department at Glenveagh National Park are being processed at present. In both cases the persons making the allegations have named a number of individuals against whom the allegations are directed. One individual who has made allegations is himself the subject of allegations. It is estimated that the investigation will be completed by mid-July but this is contingent on the availability of both the independent investigator and all parties who are required to make statements.
In so far as the overall time taken to conduct this investigation is concerned, I would refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 185 and 189 of 7 November 2002, in which I indicated that a suitably trained officer of my Department had been appointed to carry out the investigation. This arrangement had subsequently to be changed at the request of the person who made the first allegations on the basis that he should be treated no differently than a colleague whose allegations are also being investigated by independent experts. This change of investigators and the submission on 17 February 2003 of an additional list of incidents to be investigated caused unavoidable delays in the process.
Up to the end of April the investigation has cost €2,570 on the basis of a daily rate and expenses. The total cost of the investigation will be dependent on the number of consultancy days required for its completion and the expenses involved.
