Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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273. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the percentage of persons employed in her Department that 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. [14438/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, 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 Codes of Practice, meet a target of 3% of employees with disabilities and report every year on achievement of these obligations.

According to the latest staff census figure, compiled for the year ending 31^sDecember 2017, my Department has 339 staff employed that have disclosed a disability or received a workplace accommodation in respect of a disclosed disability. This represents 5% of all staff employed in the Department and exceeds the current 3% employment target for people with disabilities in the Irish Civil Service.

In relation to the three agencies under the aegis of my Department the last figures available as reported to the National Disability Authority were in respect of 2016. The Citizens Information Board reported that 9.64% of all staff employed had disclosed a disability or received a workplace accommodation in respect of a disclosed disability. The Pensions Authority reported that 3.92% of all staff employed had disclosed a disability or received a workplace accommodation in respect of a disclosed disability.