Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The governance of publicly funded theatres, as with all bodies, is a matter for the board of the theatres themselves. All boards have a duty to ensure their bodies comply with statutory requirements and that their staff can work in a safe and respectful environment.

In recent times, as we know, there have been a number of alarming allegations and reports about sexual harassment in the workplace relating to the arts community. That is why I have invited the group of eight leaders from Irish theatre organisations, who recently co-signed a statement condemning sexual harassment and abuse of power in the theatre in Ireland, to meet with me and the Arts Council this week. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss ways in which the Department and the Arts Council together can support the sector in creating a safe culture and environment for those working in the industry.

More broadly, I have been engaging with the Arts Council and the National Theatre to facilitate an industry-wide consultation exercise to be held before the end of the month. As I have said, I believe that, working together, my Department, the Arts Council and leading members of theatre organisations can encourage a safe and respectful environment free from abuse of power and sexual harassment.

I have also identified a number of actions I can take as Minister in regard to the bodies reporting to my Department. The intention is to help boards fulfil their functions more effectively, and to support them in ensuring that policies in regard to equality and respect in the workforce operate effectively in line with best practice. These include arranging separate dedicated governance workshops for board members and senior staff with a particular emphasis on issues relating to bullying, abuse of power and sexual harassment in the workplace; working on a collaborative basis with the Arts Council to make similar training available to other cultural organisations and arts centres around the country at a series of regional information days; and highlighting once again to bodies reporting to the Department the nature of their legal obligations, by seeking assurances of their compliance with obligations under employment legislation.

See this speech in context