Michael Ring
Question:298 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the proposals, if any, he has put in place to deal with disability issues in every Government Department and public body. [17580/97]
Written Answers. - Rights of Disabled.
The Government is committed to ensuring that disability is placed on the agenda of every Government Department and public body. In this regard, the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities will constitute the foundation on which the Government's future policy on disability will be based. The implementation of many of the report's recommendations would impinge on all Government Departments to some degree and an interdepartmental task force is currently preparing a plan of action on the rights of people with disabilities, based on the report.
It is in the context of the implementation of the report's recommendations, based on the plan of action as approved by the Government, that I would envisage, in the main, the advancing of disability issues in the various Government Departments and public bodies. The task force is expected to present an interim plan to Government shortly and it is my intention to have the final plan of action completed as soon as possible thereafter.
My Department has been assigned responsibility for monitoring achievement of the quota in the public service and this matter will be pursued with determination in the coming months. The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, with special responsibility for Equality and Disabilities, Ms Mary Wallace has already been in contact with Government Ministers concerning the achievement of the 3 per cent quota for the employment of people with disabilities in the public service.
The Minister of State has written to Government Ministers seeking to progress the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities. She has also met with a number of Ministers whose areas of responsibility are of particular relevance to the lives of people with disabilities with a view to developing effective cross-departmental working mechanisms. An indication of the success of this approach is that the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, in conjunction with her, recently announced funding of £4,325,000 towards capital grants which will directly benefit people with physical and sensory disabilities and voluntary agencies. This funding will enhance the opportunities for people with disabilities to achieve independent living and community integration.