Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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267. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions that his Department and bodies under the aegis of his Department are taking to increase recruitment of members of the LGBTQIA+ communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38409/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department recruits staff either directly or through the Public Appointments Service (PAS), which is the central recruitment function for the Public Service. All of our recruitment competitions are run in accordance with the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) Code of Conduct 2022. The Code requires recruitment competitions to be administered in a fair and equitable manner. Opportunities advertised by PAS, or by my Department, include language clarifying that the Civil Service is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. All interview boards are trained not to discriminate on any of the nine grounds of the Equality Acts and are also given training on unconscious bias.

My Department recognises the importance of creating a diverse and inclusive organisation. The Human Resources Division leads on work to further embed a culture of dignity and respect in the Department, emphasising gender, equality, diversity and inclusion. In 2019, under my Department’s first HR Strategy 2019-2022, a dedicated Equality Officer was appointed to oversee work in this area, and policies have been developed that specifically support inclusion of LGBTQIA+ colleagues, notably A Guide to Supports for Maternity, Adoptive and Parental Leave, and A Guide to Supporting Transgender Colleagues.

On 5 July 2022, my Department launched a Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan 2022-2025 that includes 39 actions and ambitious time-bound targets which include recruitment initiatives to increase diversity and the development of guidance for DFA staff on LGBTQIA+ issues for staff relocating overseas on postings. A key partner in this work by Human Resources is the Management Board Sub-Committee on Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI), which includes a staff-led voluntary working group focusing on LGBTQIA+ issues.