Mr. John Maher:

The Department would agree there is an employment gap between persons with disabilities and the total employment rate, and that is a gap that needs to be narrowed. We do not provide any direct labour market activation supports but I would note from the census data that this does not really give a disaggregation by occupation, by earnings or by sector, so I do not have any specific information on high-skilled versus low-skilled employment. I note from the census that, as well as an employment gap, there is a big educational attainment gap for persons with disabilities. For those who had not progressed further than primary level, it is 13.7% among persons with disabilities versus 4% for the population, and for those who completed third level, it is 37% for persons with disabilities and 53% or 54% for the total rate. As for employment prospects, there is a strong correlation between employment and educational attainment.

In terms of what the Department and its agencies are doing, as set out in our submission, the IDA is working in partnership with Generation Ireland to deepen and widen the talent pool and get that message out to its client companies. Similarly, Enterprise Ireland has a partnership agreement with Open Doors to further develop awareness and campaigns, to utilise success stories and to get the message out there.

The other important element is the Employers for Change programme that is run by Open Doors and supported by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. That is a dedicated service that gives advice and information to employers about recruiting and employing persons with disabilities. That awareness raising is an important part of bridging the high-skill versus low-skill employment gaps. Hopefully, that will be of assistance to the Senator.