Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding recruiting persons with a disability; the number of persons currently employed in his Department; the number of persons with a disability that have been employed since 1 January 2011 to date in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37831/12]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the position regarding opportunities for employment in my Department is limited by the recruitment and promotion moratorium which was announced on the 27th March 2009. Notwithstanding the moratorium, the 3 per cent target for the employment of people with disabilities in the Public Service remains in place and the National Disability Authority reports on compliance with this target under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005. The returns for my Department for 2011 show that of its 563 staff, 3.2% have a declared disability. While my Department has, therefore, reached the statutory minimum target, it will continue to look at opportunities to promote and support the employment of persons with disabilities.

Finally, the Civil and Public Service is an equal opportunities employer and all recruitment campaigns are conducted in strict compliance with the Codes of Practice set out by the Commission for Public Service Appointments. Such codes include the Code of Practice governing the External and Internal Appointments of Persons with Disabilities to Positions in the Irish Civil Service and Certain Public Bodies .