Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 4 May 1994

Vol. 442 No. 3

Written Answers. - Disabled Departmental Employees.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern):

The percentage of staff with a disability employed in each Department as at October 1993 is included in Annex A. In view of the extreme sensitivity of the data, particularly in Departments or Offices with a small number of staff where the information could be used for personal identification of disabled staff, I have not published the number of disabled staff employed in each Department. Information regarding the grading of staff with disabilities is not held centrally. Even if it were, I would be reluctant to publish it for the same reason.

In relation to the accessibility of buildings in each Department to disabled staff, I attach an extract from the recently agreed Code of Practice for the Employment of People with Disabilities in the Civil Service on this subject — Annex B. With the exception of three offices with a small number of staff, at least one building in each Department or Office is accessible to wheelchair users. However, there is a very wide range of disabilities and physical access is not a problem for all staff with a disability. It is the policy in the Civil Service that all reasonable efforts are made to meet the special requirements of staff with a disability, whether in relation to access or to the provision of specialised or modified equipment, so as to maximise access to employment in the Civil Service for people with disabilities.

In relation to the commitment to achieve a quota of 3 per cent for the employment of people with disabilities in the public service, while this figure has not yet been reached in the public service as a whole, the percentage of people with disabilities employed in the Civil Service has steadily risen in recent years and has now reached 3 per cent of the total staff numbers. All Departments are required to play their full part in ensuring that this objective is met and maintained. The achievement of the 3 per cent quota in the wider public service is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Equality and Law Reform.

Annex A.

Department	Staff with a disability as percentage of workforce
	%
Agriculture, Food & Forestry	1.7
Arts, Culture & the Gaeltacht	3.5
Attorney General & CSSO	1.2
Central Statistics Office	5.7
Civil Service Commission	3.2
Comptroller & Auditor General	1.3
Defence	5.0
Director of Public Prosecutions	0.0
Education	3.1
Enterprise & Employment	5.4
Environment	3.2
Equality & Law Reform	5.9
Finance	3.9
Foreign Affairs	2.4
Health	3.4
Justice	2.9
Marine	6.9
OPW	2.9
Oireachtas	1.3
Ombudsman	3.1
Revenue Commissioners	2.4
Social Welfare	3.4
State Laboratory	5.7
Tánaiste	0.0
Taoiseach	9.7
Tourism & Trade	1.0
Transport, Energy & Communications	3.8
Valuation Office & Ordinance Survey	3.7
Total	3.0

CLASS="CP">ANNEX B

Extract from the Code of Practice for the Employment of People with Disabilities in the Civil Service.

Accommodation and equipment

14. Most staff with disabilities can operate effectively without requiring modifications to their working environment. However, special facilities are required by some. It is the policy in the Civil Service to ensure that, in so far as is practical, the working environment is such as to minimise problems which face staff with certain disabilities. Particular importance attaches to providing access for people with mobility or sensory problems, both staff and members of the public who may wish to use Government offices. The key to progress in this regard is sensitivity to the obstacles which particular physical environments place in the way of people with certain disabilities and a planned approach to the progressive removal of them. Departments should also acquaint themselves with the range of special aids and equipment available to assist people with certain disabilities. Again, most staff with disabilities will not require special equipment but in some cases mechanical aids can greatly enhance the comfort and efficiency of the staff concerned.

15. The following guidelines will apply in relation to accommodation and equipment:

—The Office of Public Works will take the requirements of people with disabilities fully into account in their assessment of buildings for rental purposes.

—In undertaking any significant structural alteration to or renovation of an existing building, the Office of Public Works will, in so far as is practicable, include in the works such alterations as are necessary to bring the building concerned up to an acceptable standard of accessibility for people with disabilities (major constraints apply in this regard, however, in the case of certain buildings, for example, listed buildings).

—Departments which carry out work on their own buildings should also consider what alterations might reasonably be included in the work to improve accessibility. The Office of Public Works will be available to advise in this regard.

—Accommodation Officers in Departments should, in the course of their normal duties, note any access problems or other features of the buildings occupied by their Departments which may cause problems for people with disabilities with a view to the progressive eradication of such problems.

—Departments should consult staff with disabilities about special equipment which might enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in performing their duties and adopt a positive approach to reasonable requests for such equipment.