Written answers

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

Department of Justice and Equality

Equal Opportunities Employment

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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590. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the way that her Department and public bodies and agencies that operate under her remit meet their obligations for reasonable accommodation under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015. [24311/22]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that my Department and the bodies and agencies under its aegis are committed to ensuring that obligations for reasonable accommodation under the Employment Equality Acts, 1998-2015 are met, and that all staff have access to equal opportunities surrounding employment, career progression, learning and development and all other aspects of working life.

The Deputy may also be interested to note that on 11 March 2022, my Department launched its first Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which provides clear milestones and a framework through which it will build on its ambition to be an organisation that is welcoming and inclusive. This Strategy strengthens the Department’s capabilities to promote equality, embrace diversity and foster inclusion in its day to day business and services, in policy-making and in providing equal opportunities for all staff.

My Department has a Disability Liaison Officer, who is available to provide confidential support, information and advice to all staff with disabilities and their managers. The Disability Liaison Officer actively engages with staff with a disability to ensure reasonable accommodations are put in place to enable them to carry out their roles effectively, access training and development, and pursue opportunities for career progression and promotion.

Reasonable accommodation measures include, but are not limited to, assistive software or hardware, accessible parking, role adjustment/tailoring, or time off to attend medical appointments related to a disability. Where necessary, the Disability Liaison Officer collaborates with IT, Corporate Facilities and Human Resources, as well as the Department’s Health and Safety Officer, to coordinate the provision of these reasonable accommodations. Further, if additional training is required to facilitate a staff member who has a disability to meet their job requirements, this is identified to the Corporate Learning Unit, who source appropriate training with the assistance of the DLO and the staff member.

As part of their induction training, all new entrants to my Department are informed about the Disability Liaison Officer and the supports available to staff with disabilities.

Staff are invited by the Corporate Learning Unit to indicate whether they require reasonable accommodation when participating in any training taking place in the Department. Additionally, live closed captions are provided on all webinars delivered by the Corporate Learning Unit and other supports such as Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreting and plain text content are made available, to allow greater access to training for staff with disabilities.

My Department is currently working with colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to ensure that any purchased eLearning content is accessible to all staff e.g. compatible with screen reader technology and also works with external training providers to ensure any e-learning modules designed for and delivered to staff adhere to accessibility and universal design principles.

As my Department transitions into a new phase of blended working, it has shaped its policy and procedures to ensure that staff who have disabilities are provided with the reasonable accommodations they require to carry out their work effectively. For example, any staff member who uses assistive software and/or hardware will be allocated a permanent, designated desk in their office, which can only be used by that staff member.

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