Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1010. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Departmental staff currently on sick or stress leave; and the number who took stress or sick leave in each of the past five years, and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [17783/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when the information is to hand.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1011. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of allegations of bullying made by departmental staff against departmental staff in each of the past five years, and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will detail what actions are being taken by his Department to investigate the allegations, or if they are being investigated. [17801/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department's Dignity at Work policy aims to promote respect, dignity, safety, and equality in the workplace. This policy provides information to staff on the steps they may take and the recommended procedures to follow if they believe that they have been bullied, harassed, or sexually harassed. My Department adheres to this Civil Service-wide policy in relation to allegations of bullying and the procedures for dealing with such allegations. 

As requested by the Deputy the table below sets out the the number of individuals who have been subject to allegations of bullying by year. 

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1012. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Departmental staff dismissed in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [17819/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Compliance with the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour is a condition of employment within the Department of Justice. When a concern arises about the conduct or performance of an individual, their line manager will initially address it as a management issue through discussion and appropriate assistance.

If no resolution is reached, or, where more serious circumstances arise, the Civil Service Disciplinary Code (Circular 19/2016) is applied. This Code outlines the procedure for dealing with disciplinary matters, including grounds for dismissal in the Civil Service and is available online at:

hr.per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/Circular-19-of-2016-Civil-Service-Disciplinary-Code.pdf

New entrants to the Civil Service are appointed on the basis of a one-year probationary contract. If the new entrant does not reach the required standards during this period, the termination of their contract is carefully considered. The legislative provisions governing probation are set out in the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956 (as amended).

In the time period specified by the Deputy, there have been fourteen dismissals from my Department, as outlined in the table below. Of these, eleven were dismissed during the probation period. The majority of these were terminated due to the unsuccessful completion of probation, while a small number were terminated for other reasons, during the probation period.