Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
569. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if individual public sector bodies are required to publish annual reports on their disability employment numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12334/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Part 5, public bodies have a statutory obligation to collect and process data on all employees, including employees with disabilities. Under Part 5 of the Disability Act (2005), public bodies have a statutory obligation to submit annual and updated data regarding the total number and percentage of employees with disabilities that they employ.
Public bodies have a duty to promote and support employment of persons with disabilities and achieve the current employment target of a minimum of 6% (2025 returns).
Every year public bodies provide annual updated statutory reports to their Departmental Monitoring Committees by 31 March.
Monitoring Committees have to send their annual Departmental returns to the National Disability Authority (NDA) by the statutory deadline of 30 June.
As required under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005, my Department has a Departmental Monitoring Committee. This committee monitor the progress that public bodies under the aegis of my Department is making to meet their obligations under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005.
The NDA has a role to monitor Part 5 and to provide public bodies with evidence informed advice and guidance to help them meet their obligations under Part 5.
The Disability Act 2005 does not specify how public bodies collect their data. NDA advises on data collection processes but it is up to public bodies how they collect their data.
It is the responsibility of public bodies and Monitoring Committees to ensure that the NDA is provided with accurate Part 5 data that is collected/updated on an annual basis.
The annual Report on Compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005, based on anonymous data submitted by public bodies, is in the public interest, because it captures the annual challenges that public bodies experience and the progress they are making regarding increasing the recruitment and retention of persons with disabilities.
