Laura Harmon (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the opening remarks. It is great to have them here today for this engagement. I will talk about employment first. It is quite stark that Ireland has the lowest levels of employment for people with disabilities in the European Union. The figures I have here show we are currently at 32.6%, which is nearly 20% below the EU average of 51.3%. I would like to get the views of the witnesses on why this is the case. I know the National Disability Authority also has a role under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 in monitoring the employment of persons with disabilities in the public sector. I am aware we have a new target as of this year of 6% in the public sector. This was previously 3% and moved to 4.5% last year. How are we performing in relation to this target? In the witnesses' experience, what recommendations have been implemented? What needs to be done in future to improve the situation and support people with disabilities to enter the workforce and stay there?