Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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298. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the percentage or number of staff working with a disability within his Department and the agencies under his aegis in 2018, 2019 and 2020; and the actions being undertaken by his Department to actively recruit and retain persons with disabilities. [42147/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Disability Act 2005, public service bodies have a duty to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities and to ensure that at least 3% of their employees are people with disabilities. In addition the Department has a statutory requirement to maintain accurate records on the number of staff with disabilities in the Department. To meet this requirement, on an annual basis, staff are requested to declare, confidentially, if they have a disability.

The percentage of staff working with a disability within my Department in 2018 and 2019 are outlined below:

Data relating to 2020 is not currently available.

Some specific measures to support employees with disabilities within my Department include:

- My Department has been involved in the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) programme since 2018 offering graduates with disabilities a 6 month work placement within the Department.

- My Department supports the Job Shadow Day initiative on an annual basis, as part of the national project with brings people with disabilities and local employers together for one day; for the last number of years we have teamed with the Walkinstown Association for People with an Intellectual Disability (WALK).  Due to Covid-19 we were not asked to participate this year.

- My Department recently introduced its Universal Design and Accessibility Policy and Action Plan, which aims to demonstrate the Department’s commitment to accessibility, the principles of Universal Design and reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities.

- This year my Department has run Disability Awareness Training and Autism Awareness Training, supporting our commitments under the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021.

In addition, my Department has a Disability Liaison Officer who provides additional support to staff with disabilities on an ongoing basis, providing reasonable accommodations as appropriate.  We also have a mentoring programme open to all staff.

My Department complies with all central policy and guidance, including equality of opportunity in all of our employment practices.

The details requested in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for the individual bodies concerned. Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is as below: