Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2023
155. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if consideration will be given to addressing Ireland's appalling record of employment of people with disabilities by investing and developing a clear strategy to support people with disabilities to gain and retain employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40819/23]
View answer156. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if consideration will be given to an investment in the development of an Irish assistive technologies ecosystem that supports the act of inclusion and participation of disabled people in all aspects of life; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40823/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 155 and 156 together.
As Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment I consider that increasing the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the labour market represents a significant opportunity for employers and the enterprise sector.
The development of policy measures and initiatives to support disability rights and inclusion fall, primarily, under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Strategies under that Department include the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (CES) and the National Disability Inclusion Strategy. The CES is the primary disability employment policy initiative in Ireland. It is a cross-government approach, bringing together actions by Government Departments and Agencies to address the barriers and challenges to employment of persons with disabilities.
In terms of specific employment supports and grants provided by Government, my colleague the Minister for Social Protection, plays the lead role, supporting jobseekers, existing employees with disabilities, and private sector employers seeking to hire or retain a person with a disability. Under the Reasonable Accommodation Fund, the department can help employers and employees with a disability to take appropriate measures to help a person with a disability to access, improve or retain their employment by providing specific grant aid to employers and employees and disability awareness supports which offer funding to private sector employers to provide Disability Awareness Training for staff who work with a colleague who has a disability.
Agencies under the remit of my Department have a number of initiatives in place to help encourage employers to employ persons with disabilities.
Enterprise Ireland is focused on ensuring that their supports for entrepreneurs and enterprise are accessible to all, including people with disabilities. EI’s online content has been adapted to make information more accessible. EI continues to invest in accessible training content, available on eiLearn.ie and works in conjunction with stakeholders in the LEOs and third level colleges to develop new programmes and initiatives.
In 2022 Enterprise Ireland signed a partnership agreement with Open Doors to further develop awareness campaigns and programmes that will utilise success stories of self-employed and entrepreneur role models with a variety of disabilities. Additionally, the office infrastructure is designed, or has been adapted, to accommodate people with intellectual and physical disabilities. EI will have one to one mentor support in place for persons with intellectual disabilities by the start of 2024.
IDA Ireland have worked in partnership with Generation Ireland to launch a Pilot Programme designed to widen the talent pool and attract people from diverse backgrounds to avail of employment opportunities. Individual discussions to progress this offer are underway with IDA client companies. IDA aims to have a significant number of companies engaged with Generation Ireland and accessing the wider talent pool in place by 2025.
As part of our high-level engagement on the new National Disability Strategy my Department will continue to work with colleagues across Government and consider what further actions we and our Agencies can take to increase participation in the labour market by persons with a disability.
