Gay Mitchell
Ceist:191 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Defence the equality policies the general staff and he have in place to deal with the causes of harassment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25678/03]
Written Answers. - Equal Opportunities Employment.
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:192 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Defence the action which has been taken in the three years since the publication of research of a person (details supplied) to redress the imbalance caused by years of active and institutional discrimination against the recruitment of women to the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25681/03]
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:193 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Defence the reason contrary to best practice in the international military and consistent with the legislation here, the Defence Forces have no equality mission statement and no explicitly stated equality policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25683/03]
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:194 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Defence the reason in the three years since the publication of research by a person (details supplied) on the Defence Forces, no equality mission statement or comprehensive equality policy has been formulated by the General Staff or his Department. [25686/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 to 194, inclusive, together.
The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity within the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces commitment to this policy is outlined in their Annual Report for 2002. Defence Forces recruitment and career policies embrace the concepts of equality and diversity. Careers in the Defence Forces are open to both male and female applicants on an equal basis. These principles are formally enunciated in the Dignity Charter for the Defence Forces which was adopted in line with the recommendations of the Government task force on workplace bullying. The statement of the Chief of Staff in July 2001 was also a clear statement of Defence Forces policy on this issue. The concepts of the dignity charter and the charter itself are being mainstreamed into all levels of induction and career course training within the Defence Forces and continue to be incorporated in Defence Forces policy documents and initiatives such as the integrated personnel management plan.
In 2001 following newspaper coverage of an academic thesis by a then serving officer in the Defence Forces on the subject of harassment of females in the Defence Forces, the Chief of Staff established a special military steering group to examine these issues. Dr. Eileen Doyle, who chaired the Government's task force on the prevention of workplace bullying, was asked by me to join the group as an expert civilian chairperson. She was joined by two other civilian experts and by senior military personnel. Dr. Doyle's group was asked to: determine the nature and extent of sexual harassment, harassment and bullying in the Defence Forces; review existing policies and procedures on interpersonal relationships in the Defence Forces specifically in regard to harassment, bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment; and make recommendations on strategies and programmes relating to awareness and education in this whole area.
Dr. Eileen Doyle and the external advisory committee group presented their completed report, Challenge of the Workplace, to me in March 2002. I accepted the report and recommendations in full.
Action to implement the recommendations of the report has been a priority since that time. The follow-up action has been driven by an independent monitoring group, chaired by Dr. Doyle. This group meets regularly to oversee the implementation of the report's recommendations. In particular, the group is continuing to oversee the review of structures, policies, complaints procedures, selection procedures for career events such as selection for promotion, overseas service and career courses and education and training to ensure awareness and recognition of the problem.
This group has overseen the following important developments in this issue: the establishment of an equality steering group; the launch of an independent confidential helpline and counselling service for members of the Permanent Defence Force; the launch of a revised administrative instruction and an accompanying booklet on interpersonal relationships in the Defence Forces, which have been issued to every member of the Defence Forces; sourcing of training on a pilot basis for commanders and senior NCOs focusing on the area of prevention and resolution of interpersonal conflict, which the monitoring group identified as important to organisational development and change; the appointment of an independent body to design, administer and analyse an exit interview questionnaire for personnel leaving the Defence Forces; identification and training of personnel with appropriate skills to act as contact persons to assist in allowing personnel to deal with bullying issues by an informal approach, where appropriate; and the use of focus groups to identify appropriate ways of enriching training at all levels.
The equality steering group has been engaged in an equality audit of various Defence Forces regulations and instructions. It has been examining a range of matters including the legislation, regulations and administrative instructions, practices and procedures under which the Defence Forces operate. This examination is taking account of the current legislative requirements, best practice in employment in Ireland, the particular requirements of the military environment and the Challenge of the Workplace report. The equality steering group will ensure that progress is made both on legislative requirements and best working practice.
The independent confidential helpline and counselling service provides a 24 hour 365 days a year freephone careline to all serving members of the Defence Forces. A counsellor is available to answer the careline at all times. The service is fully confidential and is intended to complement existing personnel support services.
The exit interview questionnaire process is now in train and will be conducted in respect of personnel who have left the Defence Forces since October 2003. Total confidentiality is assured for any individual member of the Defence Forces who participates in the work of the project. A comprehensive report will be presented to the monitoring group. It is envisaged that other such questionnaires and/or interviews will be conducted for new entrants and personnel in mid-career at a future date.
On 9 April 2003 I launched the revised Defence Forces administrative instruction entitled Interpersonal Relationships in the Defence Forces. This policy document was originally developed and implemented by the Defence Forces in 1996, prior to the enactment of the Employment Equality Act 1998. The 1996 policy was based on developments in this field in other armed forces. The revised administrative instruction sets out policy and procedures regarding interpersonal relationships in the Defence Forces including negative workplace behaviours such as bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexual harassment.
This new administrative instruction reflects best practice and contemporary workplace legislation. A guidance booklet and easy reference card were also launched for distribution to each member of the Defence Forces. The aim of this new instruction is to set down policy and procedures regarding interpersonal relationships in the Defence Forces in order to deter unacceptable behaviour and promote a service environment based on mutual respect and professionalism. The instruction also provides detailed procedures for an individual who may wish to make a complaint of unacceptable behaviour. It explains how the individual can use either an informal or formal approach. It explains the methods by which a formal complaint can be dealt with using either the legal-disciplinary process – the existing military legal system – or the administrative action process – for less serious complaints.
However, no document will of itself promote trust in the organisation and the need for "a parallel structure" remains.
The monitoring group agreed on the importance of training for those who will implement the revised procedures, and for those within the military representative associations who have a crucial role in representation of their members. The success of the new administrative instruction, as a formal structure for dealing with complaints, will depend on the people who interpret and implement it. Training in human resource management is crucial. The military authorities have engaged an associate of IBEC to provide initial training on a pilot basis for commanders and senior NCOs. The focus of the training is on the prevention and resolution of interpersonal conflict which the monitoring group had previously identified as important in organisational change and development. The monitoring group will review this pilot work.
The monitoring group has agreed that the informal approach to dealing with bullying issues should include "contact persons" with appropriate support skills. The selection and training of such personnel is now under way.
The most significant development is the genuine and growing collaboration between the military authorities, the two representative associations and the Department of Defence in implementing the recommendations.