Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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434. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the external consultancy organisation or provider which delivered diversity and inclusion training within her Department in each of the years 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022; the costs associated with such services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16371/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department actively supports Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace through a number of initiatives for staff to promote the EDI conversation in the Department. In terms of costs associated with such initiatives, to date in 2022, my Department has not engaged the services of any external consultancy organisation or provider to deliver EDI training. In 2021, my Department engaged Lucy Michael Research, Training and Consultancy in 2021 to deliver training on the consideration and impact of EDI in developing and implementing policy at a cost of €4,920.

From 2018-2020 my Department did not pay for the services of any external consultancy organisation or provider in respect of the provision of EDI training. All initiatives, such as Lunch-and-Learn events for staff on issues such as mental health, LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace and historical barriers to women's participation in public life, were organised by the Human Resources (HR) Unit of my Department and were provided free of charge either by not-for-profit organisations or by a serving Civil Servant.

The HR Unit also circulates resources on an ongoing basis to staff members on EDI issues and with details of any talks/seminars relating to EDI initiatives being hosted by other organisations.