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Public Sector Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2021

Tuesday, 7 December 2021

Ceisteanna (216)

Alan Farrell

Ceist:

216. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department will meet the target of 6% employment of persons with disabilities within the public sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59820/21]

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Freagraí scríofa

The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024 (CES) recommends the phased increase of the current statutory target of 3% of employees with disabilities in the public sector to 6% by 2024. Increasing the minimum statutory employment target to 6% is also a commitment under the Programme for Government 2020. The Civil Service is fully committed to equality of opportunity for all individuals, in all of its recruitment and employment practices. This commitment is demonstrated in the Civil Service 2030 Renewal Strategy which was launched in May 2021.

As the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I am required to report on the number of people with a disability employed in the Civil Service. This report in Irish and in English must be submitted to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Senior Officials by the statutory deadline of 30 November every year.

Copies of these reports can be located on the National Disability Authority website: http://nda.ie/Publications/Employment/Employment-of-people-with-disabilities-in-the-public-service/Reports-on-compliance-with-public-sector-jobs-target/

The most recent published report refers to 2019. At the end of 2019, public sector bodies reported that 3.1% of public sector employees were people with disabilities. 5.1% of Civil Servants self-declared as having a disability.

In respect of my own Department at the end of 2019, a percentage of 3.8% was reported. The Deputy should note that the percentages noted only reflect employees that have declared a disability, given that the declaration of a disability is voluntary.

I feel that this figure is understated and I recognise that there is further work to do in terms of creating and maintaining an inclusive work environment that promotes and supports the recruitment and retention of persons with disabilities, and where employees with disabilities feel supported and comfortable in disclosing a disability.

OneLearning, the Civil Service Learning and Development Centre based in my Department, is developing a suite of courses and training initiatives on diversity and inclusion that will be rolled out across the Civil Service. As part of my Department’s commitment to the Health and Wellbeing of its staff, the HR Strategy Unit has organised an introduction to Disability Awareness that will address the social model of disability, the diversity within disability, breaking down barriers and myths and assumptions.

There are many positive examples under CES of how my Department, working alongside key stakeholders in the Civil Service including the Public Appointments Services (PAS), which is a body under the aegis of my Department, has been involved in promoting Civil Service employment pathways for persons with a disability. These include the following:

In partnership with AHEAD, the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) programme offers graduates with a disability a 6 month mentored paid work placement in either the private sector or Civil Service. My Department and PAS play a key role in driving the annual intakes of work placements across the Civil Service. To date over 230 placements have been made across 33 Departments/Offices. Over 80% of WAM graduates have subsequently secured longer-term employment upon completion of their WAM programme.

The Oireachtas Work Learning (OWL) programme is an applied learning, development and socialisation programme for adults with an intellectual disability that was launched as a pilot programme in September 2018. It is facilitated by the Houses of the Oireachtas Service in collaboration with two sponsor organisations, KARE and WALK. The goal of the Programme is to provide trainees with the skills, knowledge and ability to gain meaningful employment via the unique opportunity to gain practical work experience, as well as accredited learning over an 11 month period. Over a quarter of the initial OWL interns have since gone on to secure permanent Civil Service employment through confined competitions.

In terms of civil servants based in my own Department, the HR Strategy Unit developed the People@PER HR Strategy that has a focus on embracing and embedding a culture of diversity and inclusion across the Department through diversity initiatives and training. This has included the establishment of a vibrant cross-divisional and cross-grade Diversity and Inclusion staff forum. My Department has a Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) who supports new members of staff with a disability or existing staff who acquire a disability and raises awareness about disability. New hires receive the Code of Practice for the Employment of People with a Disability in the Irish Civil Service , a welcome letter from the Department’s DLO and FAQs on Disability prepared by the National Disability Authority. The induction of new hires includes a presentation and Q&A session with the DLO.

In terms of bodies under my aegis, all have appointed Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) and have proactively made available work placement opportunities for participants on the WAM and OWL programmes, with a number of these being converted to permanent positions. Embedding diversity and inclusion with each body is a core focus of the respective Management Boards with key ED&I initiatives reflected in existing local HR strategies or those being developed by bodies, such as the EMPOWER People Strategy in the case of the Office of Government Procurement.

The 2021 Disability Staff Survey in my Department was launched on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Friday 3 December 2021. The results of this anonymous, voluntary survey are not yet available.

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