Ms Denise Kennedy:

I thank the Senator for her questions. As regards my own background, I have been a HR practitioner for 28 years and I have worked in a range of organisations. I can say from a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine perspective that this is about engaging with all the schemes that are available. In terms of looking at the UNCRPD and raising awareness, we have 4,000 staff within our organisation. We have advocates right through the organisation with their own personal stories and it is very important to hear those.

We set up the equality, diversity and inclusion, EDI, forum that was launched by the Secretary General in 2019. We engage where there are programmes. The success with programmes is building that confidence with the individuals on those programmes to get to know the organisation they are coming to and working with the Public Appointments Service and the programmes the Department of Social Protection have set up. It is those engagements where both get to try each other out. Regarding the fact that programmes now have pathways into permanent roles, we want to engage with more of that. That is where the success is because it takes down those barriers.

Regarding the disability liaison piece, that person in each organisation is there to break down the barriers. It is normally for those who are in engaging into the organisation first. My experience has been that the positive influence that this individual coming into an organisation has on the team, the community and his or her family tells a story that others can then leverage. We are very ambitious to engage with these programmes. The Houses of the Oireachtas led on a programme as well. Our intentions are to be engaged in all of those programmes that are coming. We worked with KARE and other organisations. The job shadowing programme paused during Covid but is now back. Again, that programme allows people to engage into our organisation. Our arms are open to that.