Written Answers. - Civil Service Employment.
Seán Haughey
Ceist:
72
Mr. Haughey
asked the
Minister for Finance
his policy regarding the employment of persons with disabilities in the Civil Service; the procedures involved for disabled persons to apply to the Civil Service, in particular for clerical positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13479/96]
It has long been Government policy to recruit people with disabilities into the Civil Service and arrangements for doing so have been in place for many years. Central to the Government's policy in relation to the employment of people with disabilities is the commitment to achieve a quota of 3 per cent for the employment of people with disabilities in the public service. I am happy to say that the quota was reached in the Civil Service in 1993 and has been maintained since then.
In 1994 a code of practice for the employment of people with disabilities in the Civil Service was drawn up and circulated to all civil servants. The code of practice covers issues such as recruitment, reception and integration into the workplace, career development, accommodation, equipment, safety and evacuation procedures. The ideas for the code of practice were developed in conjunction with the Civil Service unions, the relevant voluntary bodies and in consultation with staff with disabilities. I have arranged for a copy of the code of practice to be sent separately to the Deputy.
Under the code of practice, people with disabilities are entitled to apply for any post in the Civil Service for which they are qualified and to have their applications considered on the basis of their abilities, qualifications and suitability for the work in question. No unnecessary or irrelevant obstacle will be placed in the way of disabled candidates.
Permanent appointments to established positions in the Civil Service are filled follwoing open competition held by the Civil Service Commission. Competitions are advertised in the national newspapers. Unestablished subordinate positions and some temporary positions, e.g. seasonal work in the Passport Office, are filled by individual Government Departments, usually by direct advertising or through the FÁS Employment Service.
A person with a disability may apply for any open recruitment competition for which he or she is eligible. Once they are notified in advance of special needs, the Civil Service Commission will make arrangements to facilitate candidates where at all possible.
As a positive action measure and as a means of increasing the number of people with disabilities in the Civil Service, competitions confined to candidates with a disability are organised by the Civil Service Commission from time to time, for the main general recruitment grades of clerical assistant and executive officer and for the grade of visually impaired telephonist. Departments are encouraged to draw from these specially targeted panels. In general, in order to be eligible for the competitions confined to candidates with a disability, a person must be registered with, or entitled to be registered with the National Rehabilitation Board.
If a person with a disability is interested in a position in the Civil Service it is recommended that he or she (a) checks the newspapers for advertisements for appointments in the Civil Service and applies for any competition for which he or she is eligible and in which he or she is interested; although the main advertising days are Thursday,Irish Independent, and Friday, The Irish Times and The Examiner, from time to time the Civil Service Commission and individual Departments place advertisements which are published on other days of the week; it is advisable, therefore, to check the newspapers on a daily basis; (b) registers with FÁS Employment Services Office, D'Olier House, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 and with any FÁS Employment Service Office which services the geographical area in which he or she would be interested in working, stating in particular that he or she is interested in any position in the Civil Service, temporary or permanent; in relation to positions in the Civil Service, he or she could ask that it be noted that he or she has a disability, as candidates with a disability may be given preference for certain positions; (c) registers with the NRB and with the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, where appropriate, for any employment opportunities that may be notified to them, mentioning in particular appointments in the Civil Service.
If the Deputy would like any further information, the equality section of my Department would be pleased to assist him.
