Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the programmes the Minister of State mentioned. I welcome the appointment of the assistant national director and I look forward to the strategy that will be published this year. We can all agree that the retention of staff in the sector is something that has more than just a financial impact. People who work in the disabilities sector do an incredibly difficult job. It calls on them in a vocational way to deal with challenges that most of us do not have to deal with in our daily lives. A job done well by people in this sector is something that has a large return for society. Retained staff retain the institutional knowledge, experience and expertise that come with it while also providing a continuity of service for the people they are serving in the sector. It is important for us to put in place specific measures to create positivity around the work they are doing, acknowledge it, and ensure there is a way they will want to stay in the jobs and continue to provide the valuable service that they do.

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