Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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718. To ask the Minister for Health the external consultancy organisation or provider which delivered diversity and inclusion training within his Department in each of the years 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022; the costs associated with such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16377/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department actively supports diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Earlier this year the Department established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working group to involve staff to formulate and implement diversity initiatives in our workplace. To support the work of this group, the Irish Centre for Diversity have been successful in a tender to provide one guidance session in April on the development of an EDI Strategy and Action Plan for staff in the Department.

My Department also provides guidance and briefings to our internal Interview boards on diversity and inclusion, unconscious bias awareness and applicable law in respect of non-discrimination.

In addition, my Department has a designated Disability Liaison Officer in place to assist and support staff with disabilities and their line managers by the provision of necessary information and guidance as needed.

In 2019/20, my Department participated in the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme, which is a six-month paid programme aimed at providing work experience for graduates with disabilities.

Details of the training courses and programmes on diversity and inclusion related topics are detailed in the following table.

Training courses and programmes on diversity