Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 347: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 266 of 6 December 2005 his Department is in a position to have the Labour Court recommendation of January 2001 implemented and thereby endeavour to have the gap between conditions, income and cost per person to the State and accountability of established, and long serving non-established staff of his Department serving at Irish missions abroad equitably narrowed. [36106/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Since my reply of 6 December 2005, the protections afforded by the Civil Service anti-harassment, sexual harassment and bullying policy, A Positive Working Environment, have been extended to all unestablished employees at diplomatic missions abroad. A Departmental circular to this effect was issued in late December 2005. It provides for:

formal and informal procedures for the handling of complaints of harassment, sexual harassment and bullying;

the possibility of mediation, where appropriate;

action where a complaint is upheld;

action where a complaint is not upheld;

and, review procedures where the complainant is not satisfied with the conduct or outcome of the investigation.

In addition to the above protections and procedures, a separate Departmental circular covering grievances in the workplace was issued in late December 2005. It provides a process for locally recruited employees at missions abroad to have work related grievances (other than pay and related matters) dealt with. The circular details full procedures for dealing with grievances in the workplace, including the possibility of mediation, and an appeal mechanism.

A disciplinary code for locally recruited employees at diplomatic missions abroad was also introduced in late December 2005. The purpose of the code is to ensure that all locally recruited members of staff at Irish missions abroad are dealt with in a fair and equitable manner in relation to disciplinary matters. The code provides a transparent disciplinary procedure, including an appeal mechanism.

The two circulars and disciplinary code referred to above were issued, in translation where appropriate, by Heads of Mission to all locally recruited employees at missions abroad in late December 2005. They were re-circulated to all missions abroad in September of this year.

As regards the Labour Court's expression of concern that no formal mechanism exists for locally recruited staff in Irish Missions abroad to pursue grievances with regard to pay, grade and related matters, the Department is close to completing a review of best practice among other EU Member States. Once this review is complete, the Department expects to be in a position to formulate a new procedure to address this issue.