Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 November 2013
308. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the measures in place to help persons with a disability in the 2013 Action Plan for Jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50352/13]
View answer309. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the specific measures in the 2013 Action Plan for Jobs that will improve the employment opportunities of persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50353/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 308 and 309 together.
The Action Plan for Jobs is a whole of Government programme, with individual actions for completion by all Government Departments and 46 State bodies. The aim of the Action Plan is to create a supportive environment for the enterprise sector in order to allow employment to grow across all sectors and for people of all abilities.
Apart from the measures which are aimed at increasing employment across the economy as a whole, Action 240 of the 2013 Action Plan for Jobs is specifically aimed at promoting the employability of groups that have experienced labour market disadvantage, including those with a disability. This action is being progressed by the Equality Authority, which comes under the remit of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter T.D.
The Department of Social Protection also provides a range of labour market services for people with disabilities, including training and employment programmes. In more general terms, many of the schemes which have been introduced by the Government to help people progress into employment - such as the new JobsPlus scheme and the national internship programme, JobBridge - are open to people with disabilities.
In addition, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Kathleen Lynch T.D., is responsible for the development of a ten year comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities, which is a key element of the Government’s National Disability Strategy Implementation Plan.
I am currently preparing the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs on behalf of the Government and I would be happy to include in that Plan specific actions that Government Departments or agencies may wish to commit to in order to further support the employment of people with disabilities.
