Civil Service

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 December 2020

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

Ceisteanna (103)

Catherine Connolly

Ceist:

103. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there is an obligation on civil servants to supply their written name, as opposed to their initials, in correspondence with members of the public; if exemptions exist on security grounds pursuant to the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour; the specific civil servants, grades and Departments and-or sections of Departments to which this exemption applies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43626/20]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

The Code of Standards states that Civil Servants should give their names to any member of the public with whom they are dealing, except where given a special exemption, for example, on security grounds and ensure that members of the public are dealt with in a respectful manner.

(https://www.sipo.ie/acts-and-codes/codes-of-conduct/civil-servants/Civil-Service-Code-of-Standards.pdf).

Special exemption groups are a matter for individual employers based on specific circumstances/requirements in their organisations.

Additionally, guidelines for staff members related to correspondence are contained in each individual employer’s Customer Charter. The Customer Charter initiative was launched in December 2002. A Customer Charter is a short statement describing the level of service a customer can expect from a Government Department or Office. Under the initiative, each Government Department and Office is required to produce a Customer Charter and to report on performance against the service standards it sets out -

https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/a2c52c-customer-charter-initiative-guidelines/.