Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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258. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development 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. [14445/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Rural and Community Development was established on 19th July 2017 to provide a renewed and consolidated focus on rural and community development in Ireland.

The Department is an equal opportunities employer and is fully committed to addressing the health and safety needs of all employees, including employees with disabilities. Section 47(1) (a) of the Disability Act 2005 requires public bodies to take all reasonable measures to promote and support the employment of persons with disabilities. To assist the Department in fulfilling its obligations under the Act a Departmental Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) was appointed in December 2017.  The Department’s DLO is a member of the Civil Service Disability Liaison Network, which promotes and disseminates best practice in relation to the employment of people with disabilities.

The role of the DLO will be to ensure that the Department meets its obligations under relevant employment legislation as well as adhering to best practice guidelines in relation to the employment of people with disabilities, including those outlined in the Code of Practice for the Employment of people with Disabilities in the Civil Service (2007).

The DLO will undertake a survey of staff in Q2 2018, to establish the proportion of staff (and those in the Agencies under our remit) with a disability.

Once identified, the DLO will take all appropriate measures to assist staff with disabilities, including the provision of training, support and guidance, as appropriate.

In addition the Department is currently participating in the WAM (Willing Able Mentoring) programme. The WAM programme offers graduates with disabilities work experience and gives practical effect to Government and Civil Service policy on improving the employment prospects for people with disabilities.