Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
908. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department has taken to honour the programme for Government pledge to ensure that Government Departments and public bodies take positive steps, including the use of correct pronouns and, where possible, making improvements on official forms, to assist non-binary people. [35822/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's current Statement of Strategy 2021-2024 sets out as one of our core values "A strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and the fair and equal treatment of all."
My Department recognises that the more diverse and representative our work force is, the more it truly reflects and represents our communities and our wide variety of stakeholders. A diverse workforce brings creative thinking, a broader range of ideas and reflection, stimulating and robust team discussion, which ultimately leads to more inclusive and holistic decision making and policy formation.
These core values are important for our own employees, for the clients and stakeholders of the Department who avail of our wide range of services and for our sector as a whole.
I am committed to promoting and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workplace for all its employees and the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion policy launched in 2018 reinforces our core values in these areas. My Department has an active Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy team and a Gender Equality Steering Group whose work includes ensuring that appropriate actions are taken to ensure non-binary people feel welcome and valued in my Department.
My Department also has an active LGBTI+ staff network in place. I understand that a number of my colleagues attended webinars during the month of June which were facilitated by OneLearning (the Civil Service Learning and Development Network). These Webinars included education around the correct use of pronouns and language around LGBTI+ and inclusion.
For anyone contemplating working in my Department and those already here, all competition documents and application forms have been reviewed to be as inclusive as possible. All recruits and staff can be assured that my Department embraces an environment where each person can be their authentic self at work, be treated equally and fairly and have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution towards business goals. This includes the option of specifying preferred pronouns in email signatures and other official correspondence. Overall, my Department supports all employees to realise their full potential in a safe and positive work environment.
For customers of my Department under the CAP Strategic plan my Department is obliged to report on a variety of gender categories including non-binary. A pop-up has been developed to update the following individual customer information; Name, Address, Eircode & Gender when our customers next interact with AgFood.ie. There is now the capability to record a variety of gender categories within my Department's Corporate Customer System and the customer account update pop-up will be deployed shortly.
