Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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128. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the Gender Pay Gap Report 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1637/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the publication of my Department’s Gender Pay Gap Report 2022 on the Gov.ie website on 22 December 2022.

The gender pay gap is the difference in the average hourly wage of men and women across a workforce. This includes basic pay, allowances and overtime.

The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 requires organizations to report on their hourly gender pay gap across a range of metrics. The manner and detail of how these calculations are made are set out in the Regulations under the Act, which came into operation on 31 May 2022.

My Department's report is based on a snapshot date of 24 June 2022 and reviews the pay of both male and female staff over the previous 12 month period.

- The Mean hourly gender pay gap of all employees in my Department is 5.71%, indicating that on average males in my Department are paid 5.71% more than females.

- The Median hourly gender pay gap of all employees in my Department is -2.00%, indicating that the median rate of pay of females in my Department is 2.00% higher than the median rate of pay of males.

Pay rates for each grade in the Civil Service are set out in published pay scales which apply to all staff. As such, the gender pay gap arises as a result of the differences in the proportion of male and female employees at particular grades.

As the Deputy is aware, my Department is fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in terms of its recruitment and employment practices. All appointments to my Department are managed as part of a competitive process, in compliance with the Civil and Public Service Appointments codes of practice and allocates appointees in order of merit.

The Civil Service, including my Department, is an inclusive employer that offers a broad range of flexible working options to staff including work sharing, blended working, flexible working hours, shorter working years and career breaks, to name a few.