As outlined in my response to parliamentary question 401 of 16 January 2018, the Disability Act 2005 requires public bodies to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities and to achieve a target of 3% of staff with disabilities. Under the Act, aegis bodies of my Department are required to report to my Department’s Monitoring Committee on the number of people employed with disabilities during the preceding year for inclusion in an annual report to the National Disability Authority. In addition, in accordance with the guidance of the National Disability Authority and in keeping with the spirit of the Act, some thirty two other bodies, including the Education and Training Boards, also provide statistical information to my Department’s Monitoring Committee on the numbers of people with disabilities employed in their organisations.
The information gathered through this process is used to measure how bodies are performing against the 3% target and to assess the extent to which specific actions taken by the organisation promote the employment and retention of people with disabilities. On a broader level, the information collected by the National Disability Authority can be used to inform and influence policy on the employment of people with disabilities.
While staff are encouraged to report disabilities for statistical purposes that support the employment of people with disabilities, the disclosure of a disability is not mandatory. I agree that the voluntary nature of this disclosure should be made clear to employees and in the next iteration of this process, which due to commence in the coming weeks, relevant organisations will be asked to ensure that employees are aware that the completion of the staff census form is voluntary.
