Written Answers. - People with Disabilities. – Dáil Éireann (29th Dáil) – Wednesday, 27 Nov 2002

Written Answers. - People with Disabilities.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Question:

67 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he intends to take to ensure that the 3% target of people with disabilities employed in Government Departments and other public bodies is met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23725/02]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell):

My Department provides a focal point for disability equality policy and legislation development. As part of that remit, my Department collects data in relation to the 3% target for employment of people with disabilities in the public service, excluding the Civil Service, data for which is collected by the equality unit of the Department of Finance. Although the target has yet to be achieved, there has been a degree of progress in recent years. The overall statistics for the public service, other than the Civil Service, at 1 January each year are as follows: 1998, 1.52%; 1999, 1.72%; 2000, 1.89%; and 2001, 2.01%. The figures given for January 2000 and January 2001 are provisional figures, as returns are outstanding from a number of individual public service bodies.

The 3% target for the employment of people with disabilities is a Government-led positive action initiative that applies in over 200 public service bodies, varying in size and diversity of jobs and the range of work involved. Public service bodies may have staff levels ranging from one to 10,000 employees and some public service bodies have exceeded the target. However, it is recognised that other bodies have performed poorly. Under a Government commitment in the PPF, every Department is required to take appropriate action to ensure that agencies under its aegis achieve the 3% target for the employment of people with disabilities in the public service at an early date.

A monitoring committee established and chaired by my Department continues to monitor and guide progress in relation to the target. It has supported a number of initiatives in recent years including: approval of a draft code of practice for use in the public service and exploration of the options for common selection procedures for people with disabilities; raising awareness of the 3% target among, and giving information to, chief executives, personnel officers and disability equality officers in the public service through a series of eight regional seminars and publication of an information brochure; publication of a brochure designed to encourage people with disabilities to consider a career in the public service and promotion of this option at the public sector careers expo in April 2001; and commissioned research on the issues and barriers relating to achievement of the target in six public service organisations. The report, published in November 2001 and titled Research Project on the Effective Recruitment of People with Disabilities in the Public Service, provides an insight into some of the issues which hinder progress and includes recommendations to assist future progress.

My Department, in partnership with the Equality Authority, will launch an employer resource pack on 3 December 2002 to assist public service employers in the recruitment and retention of people with disabilities. My colleague, the Minister for Finance is responsible for the 3% target of employment of people with disabilities in the Civil Service. The PPF included a commitment to review the employment of people with a disability in the Civil Service to ascertain ongoing adherence to the 3% employment target. As at December 2001, the percentage of people with a disability in the Civil Service was 2.78%. A table setting out the percentage of people with a disability in each Government Department and office as at December 2001 is attached. The overall percentage has increased slightly since December 2000, when it stood at 2.58%, but the fact that the percentage has dropped below 3% is a cause for concern. The Department of Finance has written to the all heads of Departments and offices to ensure that they are aware of their legal obligations and of the importance of reaching and maintaining the 3% target.

In light of the commitment in the PPF and in order to establish how to improve adherence to the quota, the Department of Finance, in partnership with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Civil Service Commission, commissioned a study on the career progression of people with a disability in the Civil Service. The research is complete and will be published in early 2003. The research maps out the current arrangements in respect of career progression for people with disabilities, highlights the challenges they face when seeking to progress and makes recommendations for a model of best practice in this area for the future. All Departments are required to appoint a disability liaison officer to act on behalf of people with disabilities in Departments. In 2001, the Department of Finance established a network of disability liaison officers which meets regularly. A programme of special training for all disability liaison officers and human resource managers in Departments was held in March and April 2002.

Civil Service Figures at 31 December 2001

Department-Office	Nos.Serving	No.DisabledStaff	%DisabledStaff
Agriculture and Food	4,660	123	2.64
Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and The Islands	884	31	3.51
Attorney General	101	1	0.99
Central Statistics Office	682	38	5.57
Chief State Solicitor	247	2	0.81
Civil Service Commission	198	6	3.03
Comptroller and Auditor General	117	1	0.85
Courts Service	1,038	29	2.79
Defence	467	21	4.50
Director of Public Prosecutions	60	1	1.67
Education and Science	1,243	32	2.57
Enterprise, Trade and Employment	1,072	40	3.73
Environment and Local Government	951	30	3.15
Finance	638	22	3.45
Foreign Affairs	940	28	2.98
Health and Children	591	16	2.71
Justice, Equality and Law Reform	2,565	67	2.61
Land Registry	622	23	3.70
Legal Aid Board	305	7	2.29
Marine and Natural Resources	474	18	3.80
Office of Public Works	579	20	3.45
Oireachtas	319	4	1.25

Department-Office	Nos.Serving	No.DisabledStaff	%DisabledStaff
Ombudsman	73	2	2.74
Ordnance Survey	322	7	2.17
President's Establishment	20	0	0.00
Public Enterprise	683	30	4.39
Revenue Commissioners	6,904	142	2.06
Social, Community and Family Affairs	4,803	135	2.81
State Laboratory	87	1	1.15
Taoiseach	217	6	2.76
Tourism, Sport and Recreation	114	1	0.88
Valuation Office	125	7	5.60
Total	32,101	891	2.78

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 27 Nov 2002