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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 May 1988

Vol. 380 No. 3

Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Disabled Persons in Public Service.

6.

asked the Minister for Labour the percentage of disabled persons who have found employment in the public service in the year ending 31 January 1987; the action he proposes to take to facilitate the attainment of the 3 per cent quota; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

During 1986, 114 disabled persons were recruited to the public service. As a result at 31 December 1986 the percentage of disabled persons employed in the public sector stood at 1.30 per cent. These are the latest figures available.

My Department have responsibility for overseeing the 3 per cent quota scheme for the employment of disabled persons in the public service. I regret that little progress can be made at present because of the general embargo on recruitment to the public service.

I am glad that the Minister has said that it is a matter of regret to him. I think he will accept that traditionally disabled persons who are qualified and willing to work fared better in getting jobs in the public service and that traditionally that service made a better effort to meet the target of 3 per cent than had been done, for example, in the private sector. Since the introduction of the embargo on public service recruitment disabled persons have fallen back very badly. People of that nature do not have the option of emigrating, as a number of able-bodied people have if they are qualified and willing to work.

In the light of those matters does the Minister not think that the time has come when he and his Department should initiate some kind of drive to help people in that position? Apart from all the other implications, the situation has arisen where rehabilitation centres, for example, that have trainees ready for open employment cannot get jobs for these trainees, who have to fall back on the centres, which are overcrowded. This leads to new people in need of training not being able to attend the centres.

I am sorry, Deputy——

The whole thing is creating an enormous problem for disabled persons. That can only be freed out if the Minister's Department and other Departments make a better effort to do something about the situation.

I think that the Deputy has made her point.

Could the Minister tell us something about that, about any plans or schemes?

The Deputy has made the points. As the Deputy will know, a decision was made some years ago about subordinate employment grades in the Departments and special competitions for other grades which gave very satisfactory openings for disabled people. With the embargo position, however, over the years vacancies in those grades were frozen, even before other grades in the public service. The Department of Labour through the last ten years have been using their powers of persuasion and co-operation with the Departments to try to get both the Ministers and the Departments to take on disabled people, with much success for perhaps four or five years. Then came the difficulties. I would be glad if I could think of some suitable scheme and would be open to suggestions, but with the embargo there is great difficulty. In the context of the handicapped and the disabled whether it be through Teamwork or the Social Employment Scheme, we have been very sympathetic. I know that that is not what the Deputy is talking about in relation to employment opportunities, but on the extension of some of those schemes we have allowed disabled people to be retained where others have not been retained. The only good news I can give the Deputy today is that the Department of Labour quota is 3.3 per cent. I wish every other Department was the same. When the position improves we can start moving again to try to help the disabled.

Would the Minister agree that the time has come when a policy decision will have to be made discriminating positively in favour of the disabled and taking account of the present employment climate?

The policy is there but there is a recruitment embargo in the public service.

In terms of even reduced intake, should we not now revise our policy?

I will be happy to do so if there comes a day when the recruitment embargo in the public service is lifted. However, the policy worked out by a predecessor of mine is quite satisfactory. It is just that there is unlikely to be any recruitment in the foreseeable future.

The Minister referred to the figures for his Department, at something over 3 per cent. A number of us would be interested if the Minister would circulate the figures for other Departments. I take it that they are available? They might make interesting reading. Will the Minister undertake to talk to his colleagues about their responsibility in this area? I accept the Minister's point about the effect of the embargo, but in so far as any vacancies are to be filled in the non-established areas, the Minister could do something in pushing his colleagues to respond.

I will, yes.

Will the Minister accept that because of the overall decline in the availability of jobs for people generally, people with disability will find it increasingly difficult in the open market to find jobs and that, therefore, we should introduce a special scheme in the public sector and set aside the embargo in so far as it applies to people with disability. People suffering from disabilities are becoming increasingly concerned about being categorised as "the disabled" and that is why I have referred to people with disabilities.

That is a broader question but I take Deputy Birmingham's point about trying to persuade Departments. Private enterprise——

They have been very remiss.

—— have not been particularly good in this area. The private sector could employ more people with disabilities. In some jobs blind people, for instance, have proved to be very successful. A number of people would know that people in the Department of Labour, — probably because the Department have the overall responsibility — who suffer from disabilities are tremendously dedicated workers.

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