Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1676. To ask the Minister for Health the way his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit fulfil their obligations under section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34913/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to the fulfilment of its Public Sector Duty. Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 imposes a statutory obligation on public bodies in performing their functions to have regard to the need to:

- Eliminate discrimination;

- Promote equality of opportunity and treatment for staff and persons to whom it provides services; and

- Protect the human rights of staff and services users.

The Department of Health Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 commits to “a culture of respect, collaboration and innovation, where staff feel empowered in their roles and supported in the pursuit of a healthy work/life balance.” During this strategic cycle, it explicitly commits to the following actions:

1.To undertake a Public Sector Duty Self-Assessment

2. Engage with bodies under our aegis to ensure that they comply with the Public Sector Duty

3. To implement Department of Health actions within relevant National Strategies

4. To report on achievements in our annual report

We are currently undertaking a detailed self-assessment with the following objectives:

1. To better understand how the Duty is currently understood and implemented within the Department.

2. To identify the key equality and human rights issues for the Department of Health to prioritise during the strategic period 2021-2023.

3. To prioritise these issues and develop an action plan.

4. To increase awareness of the Duty amongst Department of Health staff.

My Department is proactive in promoting human rights and equality in the day-to-day culture and work of the organisation. Examples include:

- Gender Mainstreaming: Undertaken as part of the work of the Women's Health Taskforce, the Women's Health Policy Platform is a policy development tool designed to ensure that women's health is given due consideration in policy development.

- Public Sector Duty Lead:A Department Lead for the Public Sector Duty has been appointed at Principal Officer level.

- Staff Networks:Networks are supported and encouraged across grades and cross-departmentally e.g. Civil Service Women's Network. An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) network is in the process of being established.

- Resources:Resources in relation to human rights and equality issues are provided on the Departmental intranet service e.g. guidelines around accessibility available via the Disability Liaison Officer.

- Governance: The Department of Health is committed to complying with legislation such as the Employment Equality Act 1998 and codes of practice such as the Annex on Gender Balance, Diversity and Inclusion (annex of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies).

- Values and Behaviours:In 2019, under the Organisational Development Action Plan 2018-2019, staff worked collaboratively to develop a statement promoting communication, support, inclusivity and collaboration, with respect at the heart of all we do. This statement is included in HR packs for new joiners, and staff are encouraged to include it in meeting agendas and relevant documents in the regular course of their work.

- Health and Wellbeing:A number of initiatives are run by HR to promote health and wellbeing in the Department. Dignity at Work provides a procedure for staff to resolve issues related to bullying, harassment and sexual harassment. The Activity and Wellbeing Programme promotes general wellness initiatives in the organisation.