Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 499: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if persons (details supplied) in Dublin 3 will be assisted. [2565/08]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 504: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 281 of 23 May 2006, if she is satisfied that her Department has met the 3% employment quota for people with disabilities; the percentage of people with disabilities employed in her Department; the number of people with disabilities hired from outside the Civil Service for each of the years from 2002 to date in 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2592/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 and 504 together.

My Department uses the Public Appointments Service (PAS) for open recruitment to all positions within the remit of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act, 2004. Such recruitments are by means of open competition and are subject to the Codes of Practice of the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). Persons with disabilities are entitled to compete in all open competitions. The CPSA has published a code of Practice entitled "Appointment of Persons with Disabilities to Positions in the Public Service and Certain Public Bodies" which sets out the principles and standards to be applied in the recruitment and selection process of persons with disabilities. The person referred to by the Deputy should contact PAS directly for further information. Contact details are asfollows:

The Public Appointments Service, Chapter House, 26-30 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1. Phone: 01 8587400;E-mail: info@publicjobs.ie; Website www.publicjobs.ie.

My Department is fully committed to promoting and supporting people with disabilities in the workplace. In 2007, the National Disability Authority (NDA), which has responsibility for monitoring and reporting on the 3% employment target, surveyed all public bodies, including my Department. Based on an extrapolation of the returned survey results for 2006, 2.7% of the total number of employees in my Department had a disability. The results refer solely to those staff who voluntarily participated in the survey. No inferences can be made in relation to the disability status of those who did not respond. According to the NDA, the data may be interpreted as the minimum proportion of staff with disabilities in an organisation. The NDA is currently conducting a survey in respect of employment of persons with disabilities in all public bodies in 2007, which includes my Department.

From 2002 to date, there have been a number of individuals from outside the civil service who have held short term contracts or who have been seconded into the Department for their professional expertise. In relation to the recruitment of staff, including those from outside the civil service, there is, understandably, no requirement on staff to declare if they have a disability. Accordingly, I am not in a position to advise the Deputy of the number of staff recruited from outside the civil service who have a disability.