Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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606. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to reflect and deliver on a public duty (details supplied) in her Department's statement of strategy due to be published in October 2016; the way in which her Department is engaging with the programme for a partnership Government commitment to equality and gender proofing in the departmental and budgetary process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28649/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently preparing its 2016-2019 Statement of Strategy as required by the Public Service Management Act 1997. This work is being informed by the priorities set out in the Programme for Partnership Government and by submissions received in response to a stakeholder consultation process. My Department's commitments in the area of human rights and equality are most closely aligned with Ireland's membership of the Human Rights Convention and the Social Charter. The new Statement of Strategy will reflect obligations under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, 2014.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to developing a process of budget and policy proofing as a means of advancing equality, reducing poverty and strengthening economic and social rights. My Department will engage fully with this process.

My Department has a clear commitment to equality in its dealings with staff and stakeholders and these commitments are accessible to the public and to staff through a number of policies and procedures.

My Department’s Customer Action Plan 2014 - 2016, which is available on the Department’s website, commits to ensuring that the rights to equal treatment established by equality legislation are met and that diversity is accommodated so as to contribute to equality for the groups covered by the equality legislation (under the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller Community).

The Customer Action Plan also commits to identifying and working to eliminate barriers to access to services for people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and for those facing geographic barriers to services and to providing clean, accessible public offices that ensure privacy, comply with occupational and safety standards and, as part of this, facilitate access for people with disabilities and others with specific needs.

The Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour, which forms part of every Civil Servant's Contract of Employment, commits all staff to conducting themselves impartially and having regard to equality of treatment towards all stakeholders and clients.

The Department is an equal opportunities employer and has a range of policies in place for staff in respect of dignity at work, equality and on the Civil Service Code of Practice on the Employment of People with a Disability.

There are also other 'central' government policies which my Department implements, such as the 40% target for gender equality on State Boards.