Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 284: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of persons with disabilities employed in his Department; the percentage of the total staff this represents; the human resources policy of his Department with regard to the recruitment of persons with disabilities; the qualification criteria for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8895/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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Current data shows that 5.4% of staff in my Department, out of an overall staff complement of 503, have disabilities. The policy on employment of people with disabilities in the Civil Service is the responsibility of the Minister for Finance and a target of 3% has been set for such recruitment. The guidelines used to date by my Department for the employment of people with disabilities and related monitoring are set out in the Code of Practice for the employment of people with Disabilities in the Civil Service 1994.

My Department works with the Departments of Finance and Justice, Equality and Law Reform among others, and the National Disability Authority in the implementation of the provisions of the Disability Act 2005, including those relating to the recruitment and employment of people with disabilities in the Civil Service. The Public Appointments Service is responsible for recruitment across the Civil Service, including the recruitment of people with disabilities.

My Department will support the willing able mentoring, WAM, project on placements for graduates with disabilities this summer. The project aims to provide between three and six months quality work experience to graduates with disabilities. This is in compliance with the Disability Act 2005 Part 5 section 47(3)(d)(iv) which permits a Minister to specify compliance targets including, "that the public body concerned shall offer a specified number of work experience placements of specified duration to persons with disabilities each year".