Departmental Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2020

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

Questions (319)

Gary Gannon

Question:

319. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Defence the percentage or number of staff working with a disability within his Department and the agencies under his aegis in 2018, 2019 and 2020; and the actions being undertaken by his Department to actively recruit and retain persons with disabilities. [42139/20]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

In compliance with the Disability Act 2005, statistics on the number of staff working with a disability within my Department are compiled and submitted to the National Disability Authority annually. The figures are compiled retrospectively during the first quarter of each year in respect of the previous year and therefore, the return for 2020 has not yet been made. The following table outlines those who have declared a disability in 2018 and 2019.  However, it should be noted that there is no onus on a staff member to declare a disability.

-			2019			2018
	Total No. Employed	Total No. with   Disability	Percentage with   Disability	Total No. Employed	Total No. with   Disability	Percentage with   Disability
Civil Servants	371	16	4.3%	355	15	4.2%
Civilian Employees	451	28	6.2%	431	29	6.7%

 

The only State body under the aegis of the Department of Defence is the Army Pensions Board which is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927. The only staff post is the secretary to the Board, which is provided from the staff of the Department.

In compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005, the Department of Defence has undertaken, where practicable, to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities.  The Department continues to operate in a non-discriminatory environment in accordance with the Equality Acts and aims to ensure that the principles of employment equality are implemented in recruitment, promotion, training and work experience. 

Recruitment for my Department is open to all suitably qualified applicants and reasonable accommodation is afforded to those with a declared disability.