asked the Minister for the Environment the action, if any, he proposes to take to ensure that every local authority have on its permanent staff the 3 per cent quota of total personnel who are disabled and who would fall within the objectives of the employment of disabled persons as set out by the previous Minister for Labour in view of the fact that 1981 has been designated as the Year of the Disabled, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Employment of Disabled Persons.
25.
I would refer the Deputy to the reply given to Question No. 2 on this subject on 10 May 1978. As indicated at that time, my Department are represented on an inter-departmental committee who were set up to deal with problems arising in relation to the employment of disabled persons and to monitor progress in relation to the 3 per cent quota which was adopted as a target to be achieved over a period of five years in the public sector including local authorities.
I understand that the National Rehabilitation Board have agreed to compile, at the request of the inter-departmental committee, a register of disabled persons who might be suitable for employment in the public sector. As a preliminary operation the board have conducted a study of job ranges within a number of Government Departments and semi-State bodies which might be adequately filled by disabled persons. The Department of Labour are arranging to have the results of this study examined by the inter-departmental committee.
Notwithstanding the activities of the committee, can the Minister give any instance of any disabled person being employed by a local authority as a consequence of his request for action?
I cannot give the Deputy that information. I feel sure there are such cases and, if the information is available, I shall let the Deputy have it. I have no information on a specific case.
I wish to protest with regard to the lack of information. It is a disgrace that Deputies should be treated in this way by any Minister.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Would the Minister not consider imposing some kind of condition on the money he makes available to local authorities that they would employ a percentage of disabled people who are suitable for employment? Will the Minister not agree that otherwise these people will not get employment? If the local authorities and the State do not employ them, there is not a very good chance of the general public giving them work.
The purpose of the examination being carried out is to see the range of jobs in the present structures in which disabled people could be suitably employed. Additional jobs are not intended in this examination; the objective is to identify where they could and should be employed. With regard to the examination currently being carried out, I understand from the Department of Labour that the register has not yet been compiled for the simple reason that they are studying the question of the range of jobs.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Surely the Minister would agree that that is not being serious about the matter. It is a simple matter for a person to rhyme off a dozen jobs that these people could do. Why not employ them in the jobs for which they are obviously suited?
The examination started in March 1977——
(Cavan-Monaghan): I started it about 15 years ago when I was sitting on the benches across the floor of the House.
The Deputy was sitting on this side of the House when it was started in March 1977.
We are now at the end of 1979. Does the Minister not agree that progress has been very slow? The situation has been reviewed for the past two years but nothing has been done.
I have told the Deputy the situation.
I am calling Question No. 26.