Noel Dempsey
Ceist:60 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Labour if he will outline the progress which he has made towards the 3 per cent quota goal, established by the EC, for the employment of disabled persons in the public service.
Written Answers. - Employment of Disabled Persons.
Noel Dempsey
Ceist:61 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Labour the steps he is taking to establish an agreement on a quota of disabled persons to be employed in the workforce.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 and 61 together.
I have responsibility for the 3 per cent quota for the employment of disabled persons in the public service only. The placing of disabled persons in the private sector is a matter for the Minister for Health.
The 3 per cent quota for the public service was introduced following a Government decision of 1 March 1977 on a voluntary basis.
The Civil Service, health boards, State bodies, local authorities and vocational education committees were all actively encouraged to facilitate recruitment through having flexible age and educational requirements and to hold special entry competitions confined to disabled persons.
In the year ending 31 December 1989, the latest year for which complete statistics are available, 2,029 disabled persons were employed which represented approximately 1.3 per cent of the total employed in the public sector.
Section IV, paragraph 115 of the Programme for Economic and Social Progress outlines the Government's commitment to increasing on a gradual and sustained basis the number of people with disabilities employed in the public service, and provides for a monitoring committee comprising representatives of public service unions and management.