David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 716: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism further to Parliamentary Question No. 281 of 23 May 2006, if he is satisfied his Department has met the 3% employment quota for people with disabilities; the percentage of people with disabilities employed in his 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 he will make a statement on the matter. [2583/08]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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In the years from 2002 to 2006 my Department consistently reached the 3% employment quota for people with disabilities. However significant staff changes in the context of the decentralisation of my Department to Killarney have had an effect on the numbers since then.

In accordance with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 my Department compiled information relating to the number of people working in the Department who have a disability. The data received suggests that the percentage of people working in my Department who have a disability is 1.7%. It should be noted that the National Disability Authority has identified certain limitations which are common to all public service and civil service bodies in relation to the data gathering process and it is my understanding that further proposals are to be made by the NDA in this regard. My Department will liaise with the National Disability Authority in the matter.

It is not possible to say how many people with disabilities have been hired from outside the civil service as people are not required to disclose a disability when they are being employed. My Department employed an officer under the Willing Able and Mentoring (WAM) programme in 2006 but it was not possible to do so in 2007 due to staff turnover generally and the timing of transfers to my Department's temporary offices in Killarney.