Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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270. To ask the Minister for Health when the report relating to the healthy workplaces consultation process will be finalised, available and published; the amount allocated through the healthy workplace initiative to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29476/18]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The development of a National Framework for Healthy Workplaces is progressing under the Healthy Ireland agenda and is overseen by a sub-group co-chaired by the Department of Health and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. This work primarily involves development of a framework across both the public and private sectors to encourage and support the development of Health and Wellbeing programmes in all places of employment. 

The objective is to support employers to develop individual, practical plans identifying how they will protect and promote the physical, mental and social wellbeing of their employees, within the context of their own size, sector, location, number of employees, etc.

A comprehensive consultation process has been undertaken to inform the development of the Framework. The consultation report and a literature review have been completed and will be published and made available with the draft Framework which is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.  

A total of approx. €22,000 has been spent on the development of the Framework from within the budget of the Department of Health to date.  

The Deputy may also be interested to note that a new Post Graduate Course on Workplace Wellness at the National University of Galway (NUIG), which was jointly funded by both Departments, has now been introduced. This is an important step in building capacity towards the future provision of training and services in the area of Workplace Wellbeing. The course, with 35 participants, will be available again for the academic year 2018/19.