I wish to advise the Deputy that part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets out the legal obligations of public service bodies
- to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities
- to comply with any statutory Code of Practice
- to meet a target of 3% of employees with disabilities
- to report every year on achievement of these obligations
The National Disability Authority (NDA) reports on compliance with this 3% target. In its latest published report for the calendar year 2015, the NDA noted that in this Department, 3.5% of staff had declared a disability. At the end of May 2017, this number has risen to 3.65% of the Department’s workforce.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (CES) was launched by the Government on 2 October 2015.
The Government has already taken a number of key decisions as recommended in the Strategy:
- the public service employment target for people with disabilities will be increased on a phased basis as set out in the Strategy from 3% to 6%.
- special public service competitions and alternative recruitment channels for people with disabilities will be arranged.
These and other recommendations of the Strategy are being considered by a cross-party group chaired by Mr. Fergus Finlay.