Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 April 2026
351. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has assessed the extent to which employees who request reasonable accommodation may experience retaliation, victimisation, increased scrutiny or adverse performance management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29386/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is fully committed to complying with its obligations under the Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015 in relation to reasonable accommodation for staff with disabilities and to ensuring that employees who request or avail of reasonable accommodation are treated fairly and are not subject to victimisation, retaliation or less favourable treatment.
In my Department, approximately 8.24% of staff have a disability. Requests for reasonable accommodation are managed by our Disability Liaison Officer, who provides confidential advice and support to staff with disabilities. Over the past year this service has been expanded to include the support of two additional team members, offering an additional channel through which staff can raise concerns or seek guidance. Managers are also invited to use this service to make sure they are properly informed and trained around how to support their own staff.
While my Department has not identified evidence of systemic victimisation or adverse treatment linked to requests for reasonable accommodation, the HR team actively monitors and addresses all employee relations matters through established Civil Service Dignity at Work, Grievance, and Performance Management procedures, as well as through informal support and guidance given to staff and managers.
A range of policies and procedures are in place designed to prevent such behaviour and to identify and address any concerns before they arise, and my Department has put an emphasis on ensuring that staff are trained to understand them.
The Civil Service Dignity at Work Policy, which provides that bullying, harassment, victimisation or penalisation are not tolerated and sets out formal procedures for raising concerns, has recently been updated. Training has been made available and all staff have been advised that this training is mandatory.
Since end February, my Department has also focused on upskilling staff in disability supports. Four training sessions for staff and managers have been hosted on Reasonable Accommodation and Disability Awareness, with 160 staff attending to date.
All of our new entrants receive training on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and the Public Sector Duty as part of their induction.
We became a JAM-Card friendly organisation in 2024, with over 80% of staff completing JAM-Card training in order to help our workplace to become a more accessible and welcoming place to service users and staff with hidden disabilities.
All of these arrangements are underpinned by my Department’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which promotes a culture of inclusivity, respect and fairness, and specifically emphasises the importance of removing barriers to participation for staff with disabilities.
