Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My questions are not meant to be critical of the Minister because, as I noted earlier, I am awaiting the comprehensive employment strategy and I acknowledge that departmental officials and disability groups have been working together to produce a strategy which would address the current shortfalls in employment support. However, it is recognised that some of our employment supports lack ambition and could be more comprehensive, and this is one of the reasons I prepared the aforementioned proposals, which are not exhaustive. A substantially lower number of people with physical or mental disabilities end up in employment in Ireland compared to other countries. In Switzerland, 80% of people with spinal injuries return to work, whereas in Ireland 78% of people with spinal injuries are unemployed. We need greater ambition in this regard. What are the Minister's intentions for the Intreo offices and for shifting attitudes away from concentrating on disabilities to a focus on abilities? That is a key issue not only for the Civil Service, but also society in general.

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