Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

73. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps that he is taking to improve the employment rates among persons with disabilities. [44963/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department is progressing a range of actions to promote the inclusion of people with a disability in the workforce. These actions cover issues such as Workplace Relations Commission referrals referencing disability grounds, the National Standards Authority of Ireland’s Excellence Though People certification scheme, and Enterprise Ireland’s (EI) collaboration with the National Disability Authority on a strategy that promotes and supports entrepreneurship and self-employment for people with a disability.

The Government's remote work strategy, "Making Remote Work" which we launched in early 2021, will also likely provide greater employment opportunities for people with disabilities and also increase the employment retention rate for employees who might acquire a disability whilst already in employment.

IDA Ireland, as part of its ongoing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiative, has added Neurodiversity as a key demographic pillar. The EDI Team has arranged training sessions to promote understanding of neurodiversity and the advantages of having neuro-diverse colleagues in the workplace. IDA are developing a pilot initiative in cooperation with other stakeholders aimed at enhancing the ability of job candidates with diverse backgrounds to avail of employment opportunities in Foreign Direct Investment companies. This will commence in quarter three this year. EI hosts a number of webinars and podcasts on the eiLearn client portal focusing on opportunities for people with Autism. These initiatives introduce companies to training developed in conjunction with Autism action group AsIAM.

In addition, the Department has in place a Disability Consultative Committee whose role is to provide a focus for disability inclusion in respect of the policy work, schemes, and initiatives of the Department. The Committee also monitors implementation of our actions under the National Disability Inclusion and Comprehensive Employment Strategies and raises awareness of issues and initiatives around disability across the Department and its Offices and Agencies. The committee has representation from the Disability Stakeholders Group with members from disability representative groups and individuals with a disability.