Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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222. To ask the Minister for Health the percentage of persons employed in his Department who have a disability expressed in whole-time equivalent terms and in head count terms; and the way in which the number of persons with disabilities employed compares with national targets. [14441/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets out the legal obligations of public service bodies to:

Promote and support the employment of people with disabilities;

Comply with any statutory Code of Practice;

Meet a target of 3% of employees with disabilities;

Report every year on achievement of these obligations.

In line with the provisions of the Act, the Department of Health reports on an annual basis to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform the percentage of Department employees who have voluntarily declared a disability.

Percentages are calculated in head count terms and, as of 31 December 2017, this figure stood at 4.6%. Records relating to disability status are maintained separately from personnel records and the Department’s Disability Liaison Officer does not retain WTE figures in respect of Department staff voluntarily declaring a disability.