Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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516. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number or percentage of employees in his Department and in the agencies under his aegis with intellectual disabilities; his plans to increase this number to promote and support the employment of persons with intellectual disabilities as outlined in the Disability Act 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17493/19]

Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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517. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if his Department and the agencies under his aegis track the numbers of employees they have with an intellectual disability; his plans to do so in order to help set targets and increase workplace opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities such as those outlined in the national disability inclusion strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17510/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 516 and 517 together.

My Department was established on 19 July 2017 and is strongly committed to the development and implementation of measures to promote and support the employment of individuals with disabilities. The Department supports the best practice principles in this area, as set out in the 'Code of Practice for the employment of people with disability in the Civil Service'.

The Department has a Disability Liaison Officer in place whose role is to:

- Act as the point of contact for Civil Servants with disabilities, their managers and HR Units;

- Assist and support Civil Servants with disabilities, in confidence, and their line managers by providing necessary information, appropriate contacts, guidance, suggestions and advice;

- Assist in the implementation of best Human Resource practices in line with equality legislation

- Facilitate increased awareness of disability throughout the organization;

- Attend meetings of the Civil Service Disability Liaison Officers Network.

Public sector bodies are obliged under the Disability Act 2005:

- To promote and support the employment of people with disabilities;

- To ensure, where practicable, that 3% of all staff employed are people with disabilities;

- To report every year on the number and percentage of employees with disabilities.

In April 2018, the Department undertook its first survey of staff, including a survey of its four agencies, as required by the National Disability Authority (NDA). This survey related to staff employed in the Department and its agencies in 2017.

Table A outlines the percentage of staff in the Department of Rural and Community Development, that declared a disability in 2017.

Table A

The four agencies under the aegis of the Department were surveyed, with the results outlined in the table.

In 2017, the Department participated in the Willing Able and Mentoring (WAM) Scheme, run by AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access & Disability) by hiring a graduate under this Programme for a six month placement. The Department received an award for its participation in this Programme in 2017.  In 2018 the Department employed two further participants under this Scheme.

The Department is currently undertaking its 2018 annual survey on the numbers of employees with disabilities. The results will be returned to the NDA by June 30th, 2019.