Vol. 437 No. 2
15 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the percentage of physically handicapped people employed in Government Departments, State-sponsored bodies, local authorities, health boards and private industry; and the plans, if any, he has to increase these numbers to an acceptable level.
158 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the percentage of people with a disability that are employed in the public sector; if he will give the timescale for the achievement of the 1977 Government's target of a three per cent quota; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 158 together.
The 3 per cent quota for employment of people with disabilities in the Civil Service has been exceeded. According to figures supplied by the Department of Finance in November 1993 3.01 per cent of those employed in the Civil Service are people with disabilities.
On the basis of the latest information available in the Department of Health and the Environment respectively, the percentage of people with disabilities employed by the health boards at the end of 1992 was 0.95 per cent, while in the local authorities, the percentage was 1.13 per cent. I have made arrangements for the Deputies to be supplied with details of the latest information available in relation to State-sponsored bodies. There is no information available in my Department in respect of private industry.
Since my appointment as Minister for Equality and Law Reform earlier this year, with special responsibility for legislating for people with disabilities, I strongly supported the continuation of Government policy in relation to the quota. I held meetings with the Civil Service Commission, the NRB and the Department of Finance with a view to increasing the recruitment of people with disabilities in public sector employments. I have also raised the matter with the Ministers for Health and the Environment in relation to the position in the health boards and local authorities, respectively.
In the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, negotiated between the social partners in 1991, the Government undertook to increase, on a gradual and sustained basis, the number of people with disabilities employed in the public service. To oversee this commitment, a monitoring committee comprising representatives of Public Service unions and management was established. This committee is chaired by a senior official of the Department of the Taoiseach.
Special competitions confined to people with disabilities and administered by the Civil Service Commission are being continued. Despite the generally low intake to the Civil Service at present, there is no reason such competitions cannot be arranged for all recruitment levels in the service.
Against the background of encouraging progress in the Civil Service, consideration will be given to ways in which the private sector could make a contribution to the employment of people with disabilities.
I welcome the figure for the Government Departments. However, will the Minister agree that the figures for the health boards and local authorities are a disgrace when one considers the 3 per cent quota? I dread to think what the figures are for State-sponsored bodies and private enterprise when statistics are not available. I can only deduce that they are much worse. How does the Minister intend addressing the problem? Will he try to achieve the 3 per cent quota by way of legislation or by persuasion?
I agree with Deputy Deasy that while there is cause for satisfaction in that the 3 per cent quota has been achieved in the Civil Service, the figures for the employment of people with disabilities in local authorities and health boards is totally unacceptable. I am having ongoing discussions with the relevant Ministers and I will be in touch with the Local Appointments Commission in that regard. I hope to make progress initially by persuasion, but if that is not successful the question of legislation would have to be considered. The legislation on anti-discrimination in employment which is in course of preparation in my Department will impact on this matter because it will introduce an important legal prohibition on the application of discrimination in the context of employment.
