Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have a brief follow-up point. I agree with others that the outcomes in terms of the number of people with disabilities who are in employment in Ireland is nowhere near where it needs to be. However, I do not necessarily agree that there is no appetite to try to address the issue. That is true in the Department of enterprise, which I was in, and in other Departments. The truth, however, is that other countries do it better. We can learn quite a bit from, for example, the UK, where there is a tailor-made support package for individual workers. That is a different approach to having a menu of options that applies to everybody, which is how our system works through the work and access supports.

One of the things that would be helpful, and it may be something we, as a committee, can do, would be to be more rigorous in testing the public sector and its commitment. Until the end of this year, across the public sector, there is a requirement to employ people with disabilities at a level of at least 4.5% of the workforce. By the start of next year, that will become 6%. We can interrogate the different entities of the State that employ many people, whether in healthcare, education, enterprise, Departments and so on. As it happens, the Department of enterprise is at or above its quota. The case our guests have made is a correct one. The more people with disabilities who are in decision-making roles, the more successful the policy evolution will be. That is not because people are not trying to do their best but the people who understand the blockages most accurately are the best people to advise on policy development. That is why I think there is a need within Departments to employ people with disabilities and to involve them in policy decision-making around this area. That is probably lacking in some Departments though not all. That is my experience of being in many Departments. The points that have been made are very fair and that is a matter that we, as a committee, can follow up with Ministers and Secretaries General of different Departments and their HR policies. We must ensure that at least some of those who are being employed, the 6% in each Department, should be involved in the disability strategies within those Departments. I am not sure that is always the case.