Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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429. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government how his Department and public bodies and agencies that operate under his remit meet their obligations for reasonable accommodation under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015. [23051/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is strongly committed to equality of opportunity for all in terms of its recruitment and employment practices. The provision of reasonable accommodations is a key element in supporting new staff with a disability and existing staff who acquire a disability.

In my Department the provision of reasonable accommodations required to support a staff member with a disability is managed primarily through the Disability Liaison Officer (DLO). Reasonable accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis and, depending on the nature of the accommodation and relevant medical advice, may require further input and support from a number of areas and individuals including Health and Safety, facilities management, ICT support, and the individual’s line manager.

Where practicable, reasonable accommodations are provided within four weeks of receipt of a request. The provision of a reasonable accommodation typically comprises a number of stages: submission of the request; evaluation of the request; implementation of the reasonable accommodation; ongoing monitoring of the reasonable accommodation.

My Department is committed to supporting staff with disabilities, some specific measures include:

• Participation in the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) programme since 2018, offering graduates with disabilities a 6 month work placement within the Department.
• My Department published its Universal Design and Accessibility Policy and Action Plan in 2020, which aims to demonstrate the Department’s commitment to accessibility, the principles of Universal Design and reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities.
• My Department runs Disability Awareness Training annually, supporting our commitments under the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2022.
• A mentoring programme open to all staff.