Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is important that we set out where the targets for employment of persons with a disability within the public sector come from. Right now, the target is 3%. We are meeting that target. We are at 3.1% across the public sector. These numbers will get us to 6% by 1 January 2025. They have not been pulled out of the air. They have been set out in the comprehensive employment strategy, CES. I think that the CES document was introduced in 2015. The State has been working to this document's policies to increase the number of people with a disability who are in employment generally, and not just in the public service. One of the elements of the CES was to take the existing statutory requirement of 3% and to increase that to 6%. The CES sets out steps to achieve that. The percentages that Deputy Ward has set out do not have the strategy and the plan set out in the CES to achieve them. I do not think that we could achieve them. We will be pressed to get to the 6% by the start of 2025 as it is. While ambition is important, I do not believe in setting unachievable numbers just for the sake of doing so. If we get to 6% by the start of 2025 we will have doubled the percentage of people who are employed in the public sector. That will be a positive development. We can look to grow it further, as I think we should. Whoever is in this role at that stage will hopefully do so. The figures that are in the Bill are figures that are based on the comprehensive employment strategy. That is the strategy everyone is working towards. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has been very engaged in it. She and I met with the chair of the comprehensive employment strategy, Fergus Finlay, just last week. We discussed the sustained efforts that need to be made to increase the employment rates of persons with disabilities generally, as well as in the public service. I think that it is going to be tough to get the figures that are set out in this Bill. I will be working very hard towards them, as will my Department. I want to see the entire public infrastructure do so. However, we will be pushed to get to 6%. I do not believe that setting a higher target will change that fact.