Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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52. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she will take to ensure that bodies in receipt of State funding have in place good governance structures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47853/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I refer the Deputy to my earlier reply to Priority Question No 44.

All bodies under the aegis of my Department are subject to the Revised Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies which came into effect in September 2016.

The Code, which is published on the Department of Public expenditure and Reform's website sets out the respective roles of parent Departments, Boards and Chairs of individual bodies chairperson, and includes details of the Oversight and Performance Delivery Agreements to be entered into by both parties.

The implementation of the Oversight and Performance Delivery Agreements by individual bodies is monitored by officials of my Department who meet with the individual bodies on a regular basis to review progress in relation to performance objectives and governance matters.

All recipients of State Funding, either directly from my Department or through an intermediary funding body, are also subject to the provisions of Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular: 13/2014 Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds which outlines the public financial management principles, procedures, and additional reporting requirements to be followed in the management of grant funding provided from public money.

In addition to the above last week I announced a series of measures designed to support bodies in meeting their governance obligations.

These include:

- Arranging training for board members and senior management staff of bodies directly reporting to the Department in the area of governance in general, and on issues relating to bullying and harassment in the workplace. My Department is also 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;

- Highlighting again to bodies reporting to the Department the nature of their legal obligations, by immediately writing to them to seek assurances of their compliance with obligations under employment legislation (the Employment Equality Acts, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, and the Employment Equality Act 1998 (Code of Practice) (Harassment) Order 2012); and

- Accelerating a planned review of compliance by bodies reporting to the Department with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

I am confident that these support measures will contribute to the further enhancement of existing governance structures in bodies in receipt of state funding.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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53. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she or the Arts Council received information regarding sexual harassment or bullying in a theatre (details supplied); and her plans to constitute an independent investigation concerning the allegations. [47914/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Let me assure the Deputy that neither I nor my Department received allegations or information on sexual harassment or bullying in the organisations referred to by the Deputy prior to the recent alarming allegations and reports. Nor am I aware that the Arts Council had received any such information.

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 that their bodies comply with statutory requirements and to ensure that their staff can work in a safe and respectful environment. In this case I understand that the theatre in question has now brought in a respected independent expert to carry out a review of the allegations that have been made.

However, 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.

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 that I can take as Minister in relation to the bodies reporting to my Department. The intention is to help boards under the aegis of my Department fulfil their functions more effectively, and to support them in ensuring that policies in relation to equality and respect in the workforce operate effectively in line with best practice. These actions 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.