Seán Haughey
Question:94 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health the action, if any, being taken to improve employment and other opportunities for deaf people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2798/97]
Written Answers. - Commission for the Status of People with Disabilities.
Limerick East): My Department, together with the National Rehabilitation Board, a statutory agency of the Department of Health, operates a number of measures to improve employment prospects for people with disabilities.
The employment support scheme which was set up in 1990 assists people with disabilities to obtain open employment. The scheme, which is administered by the NRB, offers financial support to employers to encourage them to employ people with disabilities whose work productively levels are less than average. There are currently 392 people with disabilities in employment with the assistance of the employment support scheme. This year I allocated an additional £100,000 to this scheme.
The NRB also launched a new "Positive to Disability" symbol in May 1996. An initial 12 companies where awarded the symbol in recognition of their commitment to the employment of people with disabilities. Discussions are on-going with a further group of companies and it is intended to award the symbol at six monthly intervals to eligible companies.
The NRB also operate general support services to people seeking employment. These include the workplace equipment adaptation grant whereby the NRB provides employers with a grant towards the costs of adapting the workplace to accommodate people with disabilities and Job clubs which provide a range of supports free of charge for people with disabilities who are seeking employment. The NRB currently employs a number of employment co-ordinators to review the relationship of current training provision to labour market needs.
In addition to measures to assist people with disabilities obtain open employment and supported employment, sheltered work enterprises provide work places for people with disabilities who are unable to obtain or retain open employment. These places are provided by statutory and voluntary agencies and by health boards. Day activity services are also provided as an alternative to sheltered work where appropriate.
Partnership 2000 contains a commitment to create 500 sheltered employment places over the period of the partnership. In the course of providing additional places, it is intended, through the NRB, to pilot new models of sheltered work and to develop minimum standards for all forms of sheltered work. To that end I allocated £500,000 in 1997 for work places for people with physical and sensory disability. Discussions are currently taking place with the NRB about how the new models will operate. All aspects of sheltered employment are being considered by the national advisory committee on training and employment, established by the NRB, which is due to report this summer as well as the review of training and employment for people with disabilities being undertaken by my Department at present which will report later this year.
The Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, A Strategy for Equality, recommends the development of a wide range of economic and social services for people with disabilities, including health, personal support services and employment for people with disabilities, including people with hearing impairments.
The Government decided, on publication of the report, to establish a monitoring committee comprising representatives of Departments, social partners, organisations representing people with disabilities, their families, carers and service providers to monitor the implementation of the commission's recommendations, including the health care and employment recommendations which are the responsibility of my Department. This is subject to the submission to Government, in the first instance, of a programme of measures to be implemented, which will be drawn up by an interdepartmental task force on which my Department will be represented. This task force is due to submit its detailed action plan by 30 June 1997.
The report of the review group on health and personal social services for people with physical and sensory disabilities, Towards an Independent Future, was published at the end of last year. The report highlights the need to develop a comprehensive range of flexible community services to meet the needs of people with disabilities, including people with hearing impairments. Officials of my Department are in discussion with the health boards regarding the implementation of the report. The report will also be considered, in conjunction with the health recommendations of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, by the interdepartmental task force and monitoring committee approved by the Government recently.