Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 September 2024
256. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a summary of the rules/guidelines/best practices in place throughout the civil service and public sector to ensure disabled persons are recruited and promoted throughout the civil and public sectors equally and fairly. [38288/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraResponsibility for central Civil Service HR policy rests with my colleague the Minister for Public Enterprise and National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, who is best placed to provide a summary of rules/guidelines/best practices in place.
My Department is leading across Government for the development of the next National Disability Strategy (NDS), due for publication in 2024. The next NDS will include action on employment as a cornerstone issue, and will give due consideration to the supports necessary for the employment and advancement of disabled persons in the civil and public sector.
In 2018, Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which articulates the rights of disabled persons to work on an equal basis with others. The UNCRPD stipulates that State Parties shall safeguard and promote the realisation of the right to work by taking appropriate steps, including the employment of persons with disabilities in the public sector.
Government is committed to delivering on this obligation and in 2023, I was proud to commence the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022, which sets a statutory employment target for disabled people in the public sector, increasing from 3% to 4.5% by 2024 and to 6% by 2025. Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 details the obligations public bodies have to promote and support the employment of person with disabilities. Compliance with Part 5 is monitored by the National Disability Authority, who have developed a Code of Practice on the Accessibility of Public Services and Information provided by public bodies.
My Department also funds Employers for Change, a programme under the Open Doors initiative, the goal of which is to empower employers with all the information and advice needed to hire, employ, manage and retain staff with disabilities. Employers for Change have published a Guide to Reasonable Accommodations where under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015, employers are obliged to provide reasonable accommodations to support disabled employees and alleviate substantial disadvantage.
