Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2021
377. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way in which his Department is addressing the low rates of employment among persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34899/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024 (CES) is the primary disability employment policy initiative in Ireland. It is a cross-government approach, bringing together actions by Government Departments and Agencies to address the barriers and challenges to employment of persons with disabilities. The CES’s strategic priorities are to build skills, capacity and independence, to provide bridges and supports into work, to make work pay, to promote job retention and re-entry to work, to provide co-ordinated and seamless supports and to engage employers.
Implementation of the Strategy is undertaken through agreed action plans and is monitored by an Implementation Group with an independent chairperson, Mr Fergus Finlay. Currently the group is monitoring the CES Phase Two Action Plan which covers the period 2019 – 2021. Development of a final Action Plan for the period 2022 – 2024 will soon take place.
Each Department is responsible for delivering and implementing the actions assigned to it and for reporting on those the CES Implementation Group. Assessment of progress indicates that, while there are some key barriers that remain, progress is being made across government in implementing actions that do, or will improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
My Department has a coordination function and provides secretariat to the Implementation Group. In addition, my Department has responsibility for a number of specific actions under the CES. Initiatives progressed by my Department under the current CES Action Plan include the funding and establishment of a disability information service for employers run by the Open Doors Initiative. This service ‘Employers for Change: A Disability Information Service’ provides expert peer source of advice and information on employing staff with disabilities, with a view to enhancing the confidence and competence of individual employers to employ, manage and retain staff with disabilities.
In addition, under the CES and as a commitment of the Programme for Government, my Department is responsible for implementing legislation that will double the target for employment of people with disabilities in the public service to 6%. This will be an important development. My Department is currently progressing this through the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill, the General Scheme of which will shortly be submitted to Government for approval.
