Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
571. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the evaluation mechanisms in place to assess the impact of increased public sector employment of people with disabilities on social inclusion and economic participation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12337/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation has policy responsibility for recruitment policy in the civil/public service. Publicjobs is a body under the aegis of that Department and is the primary recruiter for the civil service and some parts of the public service.
My Department collaborates with publicjobs on their inclusive pathways into employment for disabled people. As an example, their partnership with AHEAD on the Willing and Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme offers graduates with a disability a 10-month fully paid and mentored work placement in the civil service. We have participated in the WAM programme since 2007 and since the introduction of the permanent pathway 5 WAM graduates have progressed into permanent employment in my Department.
My Department has also participated in the Oireachtas Work Learning (OWL) programme and in 2022 had an OWL graduate commence employment in a permanent part-time position.
The National Disability Authority is the statutory body responsible for monitoring public-sector compliance with disability employment targets. Key evaluation mechanisms include:
Numbers and percentages of employees with disabilities, trends across sectors, progress toward statutory targets and qualitative actions taken to improve recruitment, retention, and inclusion. These annual reports act as a core evaluation tool of how increased employment influences inclusion across the state sector.
