Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The personnel of my Department continuously try to be helpful in assisting and recruiting people with disabilities. Whenever they get the opportunity they try to be helpful in terms of mobility within the Department and its accessibility for people with disabilities.

The definition is set out in the 2005 Act:

"[D]isability" in relation to a person means a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession, business or occupation in the State or to participate in social or cultural life in the State by reason of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment.

The code of practice under which the Civil Service works states that people with disabilities refers to those with a physical, sensory or psychological impairment that may have a tangible impact on their functional capability to do a particular job or an impact on their ability to function in a particular physical environment, or lead to discrimination in obtaining or keeping employment of a kind for which they would otherwise be suited. That code is in place across the Civil Service.

Regarding the national disability strategy and related legislation, resources are not an issue. We must now work on targets that have been set to implement key issues, including sectoral plans in the key Departments. My Department is not one of the line Departments in the sectoral plan but it has several other commitments under the Act, for which there are fixed dates. A fixed monitoring committee examines these commitments and there is a fixed process for reporting on them. Resources are being provided to make the necessary implementation possible and to ensure everyone complies with this.

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