Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Tackling sexual violence and harassment in our tertiary education system is, and will remain, a key policy focus for me and my Department.

The Programme for Government 2020 made a number of commitments in relation to tackling sexual harassment in higher education. These include the implementation of the recommendations of the Framework for Consent in Higher Education Institutions Report. It also envisages expansion of the scope of activities to cover staff as well as students.

In August 2020, I wrote to all publicly funded HEIs outlining my commitment to tackling sexual violence and harassment in higher education. In that letter I requested a number of actions in this area. I also expanded the remit of the HEA Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality to cover all areas of equality, diversity and inclusion, including oversight of the implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs.

As part of monitoring requirements, I have requested that the HEA requires that institutions report progress on implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs on an annual basis. This is in respect of both staff and students.

In addition, the Annual Governance Statements submitted to the HEA by higher education institutions requires a statement confirming that the institution has an action plan in place to support achievement of the objectives of the Framework for Promoting Consent and Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education. It also seeks confirmation that this action plan is being implemented. In this regard, I am pleased to confirm that all publicly funded higher education institutes have action plans in place.

As of November 2021, across all institutions, 92% of actions in the framework have been implemented or are in progress. This represents a 29% increase on progress in 2020. A further 7% of actions are in the planning phase.

This signifies a significant increase in activity across all institutions to address sexual violence and harassment. I welcome the continued commitment of the sector to the implementation of the consent framework and institutional action plans.