Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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370.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide details of any anti-racism or unconscious bias training and presentations made available to staff in his Department during the period 2021 to date; the content of such training and presentations; the provider of any such training and presentations and the costs incurred for each event; if attendance at such training and presentations is mandatory or voluntary for staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24673/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to promoting and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workplace that protects the rights of all employees. To demonstrate our commitment to providing a fully inclusive culture my Department is currently developing an internal Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy, in collaboration with staff. This work is in line with commitments made in the Civil Service Renewal Plan 2030 and the subsequent Civil Service Action Plan 2024, which committed to “foster workforce equality, diversity, inclusion and well-being”.

To support this process my Department’s Management Board attended Inclusive Leadership training earlier this year. This training covered the broader fundamentals of equality, diversity and inclusion, with learning objectives that considered the impact unconscious bias can have on culture and organisational processes and the importance of positive role modelling.

Training relating to the key concepts of equality and equity is available to my staff on an ongoing basis via courses provided through the OneLearning Management System, including “Equality and Human Rights in the Public Service” and “Managing for an Inclusive Workforce" and relevant Webinars including “Making Inclusion a Reality”.

Additionally, training and presentations such as interview training, disability awareness and equality, disability and inclusion awareness, organised internally for my staff, have covered the themes of anti-racism and unconscious bias as part of a wider training piece. Unconscious bias forms an important element of the training provided to all interview boards for recruitment and promotion competitions organised by my Department.