Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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568. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the implementation of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021/2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8382/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department launched its first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy in March 2022. The Strategy is central to my Department’s mission of working for safe, fair and inclusive Ireland. It aims to strengthen my Department’s capabilities to promote equality, embrace diversity and foster inclusion, both in our daily interactions and activities as colleagues, and also in the design and delivery of the services that we provide to the public.

To this end, the EDI Strategy prioritises three areas of focus for strategic impact:

- achieve better policy outcomes and improve the accessibility and quality of our services;

- support the development of a skilled and diverse workforce which is reflective of the diversity within our population/country;

- build and embed a workplace culture which facilitates, supports and encourages contributions from all.

Each of these strategic outcomes is underpinned by a number of actions which the Department will implement. These actions are being integrated into our business planning with appropriate indicators and are being monitored along with other organisation goals and strategic priorities.

My Department’s EDI and Public Sector Duty Committee is chaired at Assistant Secretary level and will monitor the implementation of the EDI Strategy. Since the Strategy was launched, my Department has continued to make progress in implementing actions to achieve our strategic goals, including for example:

- The initiation of a project to identify an appropriate equality screening/proofing tool that could be applied to the type of work undertaken by the Department, so that equality considerations are identified from the outset and the impact can be assessed, and to test the tool in a number of areas.

- A workshop for staff of the Department and its agencies on equality budgeting has been delivered to provide guidance on the application of equality budgeting as relevant to their work.

- Supporting and promoting equal opportunities for people with disabilities by partnering with AHEAD, on their Willing and Able Mentoring Programme (WAM). In addition, a Traveller and Roma Internship Programme has been developed with the purpose of promoting the participation and inclusion of Traveller and Roma communities in Irish society and promoting pathways for a career in the Civil Service.

- My Department supports staff to pursue study in the areas of human rights and equality as part of the learning and development programme of supports, as well as the delivery of information and awareness-raising sessions on EDI-related topics. Examples of recent sessions include Neuro Diversity in the Workplace, marking Autism Awareness Month and Deaf Awareness.

The Strategy will continue to support my Department in its planned and systematic approach to realising our EDI ambition.