Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I really appreciate the Deputy's concerns. I was deeply saddened to hear of the allegations she mentioned in the Gate Theatre, and indeed in any sector. I am not in a position to comment on individual cases but what I can do is outline the measures we are taking to ensure this does not happen in the future. One of the measures is the holding of workshops and the closing date for tenders for that is 26 January. There will be an emphasis on dealing with sexual harassment and bullying in those workshops, which will be rolled out over the coming period. Also, the Arts Council will be issuing invitations to other cultural institutions and arts centres throughout the country to avail of similar training, which will help create awareness of the issues the Deputy mentioned. The Department has also written to all agencies highlighting the nature of their legal obligations under employment legislation. They are governed by employment legislation and they will have their own guidelines, but we have to make sure they are following the guidelines.

We also want to accelerate a planned review of compliance with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies, and that process will start shortly. I am hoping to announce the solutions we are examining at the end of this week or the end of next week. The co-signatories are the Abbey Theatre, Druid Theatre, the Dublin Fringe Festival, the Dublin Theatre Festival, the Gate Theatre, the Project Arts Centre and Rough Magic Theatre Company. I am aware my predecessor had a very beneficial meeting with the directors in November.

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