Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

368. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way his Department is improving services and increasing supports for persons with disabilities during 2017. [34033/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is improving services and increasing supports for persons with disabilities.During 2017 a project to modify and upgrade a Departmental building to better meet the access and internal mobility requirements of all staff and visitors with a disability was initiated. The Department continues to work to improve conditions for staff with disabilities and provide appropriate support including the use of assistive technologies and provision of care in the workplace and flexible working arrangements. The Department’s Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) continues to provide confidential support to staff with declared disabilities. The DLO promotes the interests of staff with disabilities including through researching best practice on disability issues in conjunction with the Civil Service DLO Network.

My Department continues to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities including through the WAM - Willing Able Mentoring- programme. This is a work placement programme which aims to promote access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities and build the capacity of employers to integrate disability into the mainstream workplace.

My Department has also established a Management Board sub-Committee on Gender and Diversity which oversees the work of a Working Group on Equality and Diversity which aims to create an inclusive and diverse working environment that encourages a culture of respect and equality to the benefit of staff and the Department, and over time, to the benefit of those we serve.

My Department continues to comply with any statutory Code of Practice and exceeds the target of 3% of employees with disabilities and in this regard the National Disability Authority (NDA) reports on compliance with this 3% target. In its latest published report for the calendar year 2015, the NDA noted that in my Department, 3.5% of staff had a declared disability. In 2017 this number has risen to 3.65% of the Department’s workforce. My Department reports annually on achievement of these obligations.

Further specific steps undertaken include an installation of a new fire paging system for staff who are deaf or hard of hearing, provision of specialised National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI) assessments for staff as required and the provision of additional evacuation chairs in Departmental buildings.

All staff in HQ have been offered workplace ergonomic assessments. The recommendations arising from these assessments have been addressed.