Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 23 Mar 2000

Vol. 516 No. 5

Written Answers. - Jobs for People with Disabilities.

Theresa Ahearn

Ceist:

141 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will report on the participation of 11 multinational companies in a pilot programme to employ people with disability; the strategies to encourage the employment of disabled people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8522/00]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

In 1998, 11 multinational companies initially agreed to participate in an IDA pilot programme to encourage the employment of people with disabilities. One more company subsequently joined the programme, giving a total of 12 participating companies in all. The programme began in July 1998 and is now reaching a conclusion.

The companies have been engaged in research, awareness, recruitment and selection programmes intended to promote access to employment for people with disabilities. The pilot programme focused primarily on graduates with disabilities. The programme was co-ordinated for IDA Ireland by the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability.

The research undertaken in the programme will form the basis for the publication of transparent, effective and fair guidelines on recruitment and selection practices for people with disabilities. Awareness of disability issues in recruitment and selection has been further heightened through a series of seminars run under the programme for employers and career advisers.

The pilot programme initiated and developed a scholarship programme for students with disabilities at third level, and some of the participating companies are offering scholarships this year. A number of the companies have also recruited people with disabilities through the programme.

As part of a wider process of mainstreaming services for people with disabilities, responsibility for the employment and vocational training of disabled people will transfer shortly from the Department of Health and Children to my Department. Many of the services currently administered by the National Rehabilitation Board will, under the new arrangements, be operated by FÁS. My Department has developed a series of strategies to encourage the employment of people with disabilities in the future and these are set out in Framework 3 of the Partnership for Prosperity and Fairness. The main elements are: FÁS will review existing vocational training programmes for people with disabilities and will place an increased emphasis on progression to employment for people with disabilities; a new national supported employment programme, which was announced in Budget 2000, will be introduced this year and will be further developed over the coming years; the employment support scheme, which provides a wage subsidy to employers who recruit people with disabilities into open employment, will be vigorously promoted and funding for the scheme will be increased; funding for workplace adaptations to facilitate people with disabilities will be increased; to help the integration of people with disabilities into the workforce, FÁS, from this year, will make new grants available to companies for disability awareness training programmes for their staff; FÁS will also have a new grant available to employers to train or retrain employees who acquire a disability; my Department will examine existing disincentives to people with disabilities taking up employment and will seek to address those disincentives in consultation with other Departments, and my Department will also work with the social partners to stimulate awareness and to promote the employment of people with disabilities in the private sector.