Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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235. To ask the Minister for Finance the way in which his Department and agencies under his remit are working towards enabling access to employment for persons from minority and or disadvantaged communities, including, but not limited to, persons with disabilities, persons from ethnic minorities, Travellers, Mincéirí; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32739/21]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Each year since 2015, my Department has satisfied the target of employing 3% of staff with disabilities and is committed to achieving the revised target of 6% by 2024. The Department’s Disability Liaison Officer works closely with the National Disability Authority to ensure that it is fully compliant with its obligations under the Disability Act 2005. My Department has held awareness presentations on Autism and Dyslexia in the Workplace and has recently rolled out Diversity 3.0 Workshops to all staff. Recruitment to my Department from outside of the Civil Service is conducted through the Public Appointments Service. Where my Department recruits internally or through the Civil Service Mobility scheme, this is conducted in accordance with the Commission for Public Service Appointments Code of Practice.

Regarding the bodies under the aegis of my Department, it should be noted that not all of the bodies have employees. The position in relation to those bodies which have direct employees is set out below.

The Central Bank of Ireland has a Diversity and Inclusion Policy Statement and Action Plan in place. The Bank has a number of partnerships and programmes aimed at attracting and hiring diverse talent. It has a partnership with the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) and participates in their ‘Willing and Able Mentoring’ (WAM) Programme which promotes access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities and builds the capacity of employers to integrate disability into the mainstream workplace. The Bank has engaged with the National Council for the Blind Ireland to facilitate work placements and conduct mock interviews. The Central Bank provides reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process to support candidates with disabilities and this is communicated to all job applicants. Training and supports are in place for staff participating in the recruitment/interview process to ensure that a consistent, fair and inclusive experience is maintained. The Bank has established an internal Docklands Inclusion Group which supports and enables employment in the Dublin's Docklands community. Some of the initiatives run by the group include participation in the North East Inner City Transition Year Work Placement and Flash Mentoring Programme; engagement with the local community on their Bridging the Gap and Scholarship programmes; and Career LEAP (a work-readiness programme for young adults based in Dublin's Docklands/North Inner City who are not in education, employment or training). The Bank has hosted the Docklands Careers Fair aimed at supporting and enabling employment for the local Docklands community. The Bank recently launched a new Gender Identity and Expression in the Workplace Policy which was published and communicated externally. The Bank is enhancing its focus on ethnic and cultural diversity and supported the creation of a new employee-led Cultural Diversity Network last year. The Central Bank provides staffing to the Investor Compensation Company DAC which is also a body under the aegis of my Department.

The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) operates its recruitment campaigns in compliance with the Codes of Practice for Appointment to Positions in the Civil Service and Public Service and is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for prospective candidates. The FSPO encourages applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Acts and offers reasonable accommodation to current and prospective employees with disabilities. A staff census undertaken in 2020 indicated that, at 8.23%, the FSPO exceeded the minimum requirement set out in the Disability Act 2005 in relation to the level of employment of people with disabilities. The FSPO continues to enhance practices in this area and has emphasised the requirement to achieve an inclusive and diverse workplace over the course of the next strategic period.

The National Treasury Management Agency’s (NTMA) Inclusion & Diversity networks are organised by communities of colleagues who work together to drive their progress in these areas. The NTMA partners with specialist recruiters, and attends specialist recruitment fairs. It also partners with external organisations to promote the employment of people from underrepresented minorities such as ShoutOut, Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID), AHEAD, Specialisterne, Down Syndrome Ireland, NCBI and Open Doors, who create pathways to work through training, education and employment for refugee, asylum seekers and non-native English speakers, young people under 25 with educational barriers, people with a disability and members of the travelling community. The NTMA was awarded a WAM Leadership Award for promoting the employment of graduates with a disability in 2020. Their Disability Awareness Team (DAT) works with business units to recruit roles for persons with a disability. Candidates recruited through DAT are assigned a mentor. In relation to gender balance, the NTMA works with recruitment partners to identify 30% representation of each gender for shortlists. Recruitment advertisements are entered into a job description decoder which ensures gender neutral language, the NTMA fields mixed interview panels and has a flexible working framework. The NTMA provides staffing for Home Building Finance Ireland, the National Asset Management Agency and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland which are also bodies under the aegis of my Department.

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG) advertises all vacancies on its website. The website is enabled with software, ‘Recite me’, which reads the site, translates and/or increases the size of the text to provide information to visually or audibly impaired persons who may wish to apply for vacancies. Currently just under 8% of staff have self-declared a disability. Two apprentices from Accounting Technicians Ireland commenced with OCAG in early 2021 on a two year apprenticeship programme. OCAG plans to engage transition year students as part of the NEIC Initiative as part of the 2021 or 2022 work placement cycle and has recently decided to review the possibility of engagement with the Oireachtas Work Learning (OWL) and WAM programmes. The OWL programme is an unpaid learning and development programme for young adults with an intellectual disability.

I am advised by Revenue that, as an equal opportunities employer, their competitions for employment are organised in accordance with the Code of Practice 'Appointment to Positions in the Civil Service and Public Service' published by the Commissioners for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). In line with the CPSA Code of Practice, appointments to Revenue are carried out through fair, transparent and merit-based selection processes, are made on the basis of the ability to carry out the responsibilities of the grade or post and where necessary, on the basis of qualifications also. Applicants with disabilities are accommodated and supported throughout the recruitment processes. Additionally, where necessary, Revenue is committed to providing workplace accommodations on an individual basis, including assistive technology and office equipment to staff with disabilities. The majority of Revenue offices countrywide are adapted for use by staff with physical disabilities. Furthermore, Revenue offers paid internships for persons with disabilities such as the Specialisterne Ireland and the AHEAD WAM Programmes. In recognition of its contribution to the WAM programme, Revenue received a ‘Leader’ award at the Building for the Future/WAM Awards in 2017 and continues to actively participate in this initiative. Revenue offers apprenticeships in the areas of Accounting Technician and Information Communication and Technology. Following successful completion of these, candidates are afforded an opportunity to secure full-time permanent positions. Finally, in line with Revenue’s mission to ensure an accessible, respectful, and fair environment for its staff, Revenue conducted a staff survey in May 2021 which included the collection of information on the diverse composition of their workforce. Responses from this survey will enable Revenue to better understand, anticipate and respond to the needs of its staff.

The Tax Appeals Commission conducts its recruitment campaigns through the Government’s Public Appointments Service. Any request for staff does not differentiate between persons from minority or disadvantaged communities.

Finally, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is an equal opportunities employer which is committed to selection on merit.