Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if bullying or sexual harassment claims have been lodged in his Department in each year since 2011; if so, the number of either complaints on an annual basis, in tabular form; if these complaints have been investigated; the outcome of each investigation; and the policies in place in his Department to combat bullying and sexual harassment. [2314/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Civil Servants are obliged to comply with the terms of the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour. On entry to my Department as an employee they are presented with a copy of the Code and they are required to certify in writing that they have received a copy and read its content.

At section 12 of the Code it addresses the matter of relations with colleagues in the workplace and they are expected to ensure that their behavior towards their colleagues is appropriate and to support the Civil Service Policy on harassment sexual harassment and bullying. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has published a revised policy document entitled "Dignity at Work" and it provides an avenue for staff that feel they have been subjected to bullying or harassment to report the matter.

Since 2011 my Department received 2 complaints where a staff member alleged they have been bullied.  These cases were investigated and in both cases the investigators concluded that bullying had not taken place.