Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 March 2017
302. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the way she plans to increase the number of persons with a disability at work, after an ESRI report showed that only 31% of persons aged 20 to 59 years of age with a disability were at work compared to 71% of those without a disability. [14557/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department’s mission is to encourage the creation of high quality and sustainable full employment by championing enterprise across government, supporting a competitive enterprise base, and promoting fair and competitive markets. My Department does not having a direct role on the formulation of policy on the provision of employment or other supports for people with disabilities.
Since the first Action Plan for Jobs was launched in early 2012, almost 206,000 more people are at work. Over 66,000 jobs were created during 2016. Employment growth is spread across all regions and all sectors of the economy and society.
In February, we published the Action Plan for Jobs 2017. This Government's goal is to ensure that all of our people have the opportunity to enjoy rewarding work and to participate and contribute to their full potential to our economy and society.
The 2017 Action Plan sets out a whole of Government response to secure employment and retain jobs in the face of global uncertainty by strengthening the resilience and agility of our enterprise base.
In developing APJ 2017, I had a number of discussions with my colleague Minister Finian McGrath T.D., Minister of State with special responsibility for Disabilities, and with representatives of the disability sector.
The 2017 Plan commits to the implementation of the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for Persons with Disabilities and ensures that people who are able to, and want to work are supported and enabled. This strategy falls under the remit of the Department for Justice and Equality. There are a range of measures to equip people with the skills to avail of job opportunities as they arise, including activation measures under Pathways to Work. The Government is also committed to increasing the target for employees with disabilities in the public sector towards 6.0% by 2024 from the current level of 3.5%.
We will continue to work across Government to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to participate fully in the workforce. This includes continued participation in the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for Persons with a Disability Implementation Group (CES) and the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Group (NDIS), both of which are being led by the Department of Justice & Equality.
My Department has implemented a CES action to highlight the supports that are available to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities in the open labour market, or to retain in the workforce employees who acquire a disability.
The Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 prohibits discrimination on nine grounds including the ground of disability. The Acts apply to prospective employees in claiming discrimination in access to employment. Any person who believes that s/he has experienced discrimination which is contrary to the Employment Equality Acts may seek redress by referring a complaint to the Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission, which is an Office of my Department. A case may be lodged through the Workplace Relations Commission’s website at www.workplacerelations.ie. General information relating to employment rights is available on the website and from the Workplace Relations Commission’s Information Service at Telephone: 1890 80 80 90.
