DCU launches Equality Review and Action Plan
11 April 2005

Ms Mary Ainscough, Director of the university Equality Office, DCU President Ferdinand von Prondzynski, Mr Michael McDowell, TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and DCU Chancellor, Ms Justice Mella Carroll

Over 100 guests attended today's launch in the Helix of DCU's Equality Review and Action Plan. Mr Michael McDowell, TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, was guest of honour at the event, which was also attended by the DCU Chancellor, Ms Justice Mella Carroll, DCU President Ferdinand von Prondzynski, Ms Sylvia Meehan, formerly of the Equality Authority, as well as representatives of SIPTU and the staff.

The Director of the university Equality Office, Ms Mary Ainscough, paid particular tribute to the university's Equality Steering Group which proposed the review. "The key outcome of the process is the action plan, which is an important staging post in the process of creating a culture change", she said. President Ferdinand von Prondzynski also stressed that this was a milestone on the path towards DCU becoming a model institution and he expressed his indebtedness to Sylvia Meehan.

In his address to guests, Minister McDowell said that DCU had been an innovative and invigorating force in third level education in Ireland since its inception. "It is no surprise therefore that, as an employer, DCU is also to the fore in reviewing its employment equality policies, procedures and practices and its staffs' perceptions of these. The results of this review, and the Action Plan which it has given rise to, will provide a solid platform for DCU and its staff members to build on to ensure real implementation of the principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination in the workplace".

The Equality Review and Action Plan was funded by the Equality Authority.