Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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141. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of complaints of bullying and sexual harassment, respectively received by his Department in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form. [48041/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Justice and Equality is committed to protecting dignity and respect across the organisation and adheres to the Dignity at Work Policy, an anti-bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy for the Civil Service which is available at 

This Policy aims to promote respect, dignity, safety, and equality in the workplace, and sets out several core principles, including:

- Every member of staff has a right to work in an environment free from bullying, harassment and sexual harassment;

- Each individual has a responsibility to ensure that his/her behaviour reflects a culture of dignity and respect;

- All complaints or queries raised in respect of bullying, harassment or sexual harassment will be treated seriously, fairly and in confidence.

The Policy also sets out procedures as to how complaints and queries are handled, and highlights the use of mediation as a valuable tool in addressing issues where appropriate.

During the period referred to by the Deputy, the Department has received and investigated six complaints, broken down by year in the following table.