Alan Shatter
Question:4 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the plans, if any, he has to increase the quota of workers with a disability in employment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Recruitment of Disabled Persons.
Máirín Quill
Question:12 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the responsibilities, if any, he has for persons who suffer from a disability.
John Connor
Question:19 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform if he will bring forward initiatives to encourage the employment of disabled people; if so, if these initiatives will include proposals for greater recruitment of people with disability in the Public Service.
Robert Molloy
Question:20 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the number of persons with a disabililty which have been recruited to the Public Service since he took up office.
Desmond J. O'Malley
Question:33 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the percentage of disabled persons employed in the Public Services; and if, in view of the high level of unemployment amongst people with disability, he will give details of the action, if any, he proposes to take in the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4, 12, 19, 20 and 33 together.
My role in relation to persons with a disability will be essentially a co-ordinating one. I would hope to achieve a sharper focus and increased effectiveness in the various services provided by the Departments of Education, Health and Environment.
In the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Government committed itself to eliminating inequality for all groups in society including persons with a disability. Responsibility for seeing that such equality becomes a reality through various reforms rests with me, on behalf of the Government.
The programme outlines the Government's broad proposals to enhance the rights of persons with a mental handicap and to ensure the full expression of equality for persons with physical and sensory disabilities.
As regards employment for disabled persons, the Government has undertaken to give a lead by honouring the pledge whereby the 3 per cent quota for employment in the public service for those with a physical or other disability will be observed. My colleague, the Minister for Finance, has responsibility for employment in the Civil Service. The overall percentage of persons with disabilities employed in the Civil Service is currently over 2 per cent. Civil Service Departments with a low representation of staff with disabilities are being encouraged to increase that representation where feasible, taking into account their overall staffing needs. No person with disabilities has been recruited to the Civil Service since I took office on 12 January 1993. Details of the number of persons with disabilities recruited to the public service since I took office are not readily available.
Serious consideration will also be given, in consultation with the social partners, to formulating legislation for an employment quota throughout the economy.
Up to now, most of the services for the disabled have been administered by or on behalf of the Minister for Health and are closely linked with the general health and medical services.
Discussions have already taken place between staff of my Department and officers of the Department of Health to explore how the proposals in the programme could best be implemented. Subjects under discussion include the degree of integration in current service arrangements, the effectiveness of service and impact on client groups, implications of possible changes and ensuring clarity of respective responsibilities in the future.
The conclusion of the current round of discussions should enable me to clarify my role and responsibilities in relation to disabled persons. In that context, I hope to ensure that, despite the very difficult unemployment situation generally, the employment prospects of disabled persons will be safeguarded and, if at all possible, enhanced.
The question of extending to disabled people the protection given against the gender discrimination will be examined and appropriate legislative action will be taken.
Would the Minister agree that at central and local government level there has been no adherence to applying any real quota in the recruitment of disabled people? As well as seeking to ensure that the 3 per cent quota, to which Governments in the past were committed, will be observed, will the Minister take an initiative to encourage local authorities when recruiting new employees to specifically seek to provide jobs for the disabled? Would the Minister agree that at a time when there are more than 300,000 people unemployed it is even more difficult for disabled persons to obtain employment within the general economy and that approximately 80 per cent of those who are disabled and available for employment cannot find it?
I am very anxious to dispose of the remaining priority question in the time provided.
I agree with the comments of Deputy Shatter. I will inquire of local authorities as to what plans they have to increase the proportion of disabled people working in local authorities. As public authorities they have a major responsibility in this area. As regards increasing the number of disabled people in Government Departments, the overall numbers taken on have been negligible with the result that it has not been possible during the period of non-recruitment to redress the imbalance.
The old Department of Labour was among the best of all Departments in recruiting disabled people. In the building in which my office is situated there are many disabled people at various levels fulfilling their jobs in a first class way. They are just as effective as people with all their faculties.