Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2019
600. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number or percentage of employees in her Department and in the agencies under her aegis with intellectual disabilities; her plans to increase this number to promote and support the employment of persons with intellectual disabilities as outlined in the Disability Act 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17483/19]
View answerI am advised that my Department and the bodies under its aegis complies with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005. This requires all departments and bodies under its aegis to make a return to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the National Disability Authority on how many employees have disclosed a disability. My Department provides a Part 5 return on an annual basis. In 2017 staff with disabilities made up 3.1% of our workforce in the Department and 4.8% in the bodies under the aegis of the Department. My Department and the bodies under its aegis do not generally recruit staff directly; the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is used to fill most vacancies.
The underpinning of this process is that these figures are based upon the voluntary disclosure that staff and agencies make. If employees with intellectual disabilities require accommodation in order to conduct their work, this will be made available to them upon request.
