Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 392 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004, the responsibility for recruitment in each sector of the Public Service is a matter for the relevant Minister. In the case of recruitment to the Civil Service, for which I have policy responsibility, the Public Appointments Service (PAS), which is the centralised provider of recruitment, assessment and selection services across the Civil and Public Service, recently carried out an internal review of their practices and procedures from a diversity perspective at a cost of approximately €15,000.

There have been a number of improvements since this review, including an increase in the range of reasonable accommodations provided to candidates with autism at interview stage, when permission for sharing this information with the board is given by candidates. PAS has also developed a number of modules on topics such as Disability Awareness and Unconscious Bias which are taken by all individuals interviewing for PAS. PAS inform me that these modules have also been made available to all of their Public Sector clients to share with their interviewers as a way to educate individuals in these critical areas, promote best practice and ensure equality of opportunity for all.

In addition to the above review a recent project, funded from the Public Service Innovation Fund and headed by PAS, commissioned a review of the assignment and onboarding stage of the recruitment process for disabled candidates, including neurodivergent candidates. Colleagues from my Department, disabled employees, disability advocacy groups, local civil service recruitment teams, and PAS recruitment teams are collaborating to co-design a blueprint with recommendations for a more inclusive process for these candidates. The cost of this work to date has been €61,000.

PAS is also committed to ensuring that all candidates have an equitable opportunity to access employment in the civil and public sector and to delivering on Actions 8.2 to 8.4 in the national Autism Innovation strategy regarding the collection of relevant data to monitor progress.

In relation to the environment in which recruitment processes are run, PAS have recently completed a refurbishment of their offices in Chapter House. In advance of the refurbishment PAS consulted with AsIAm to get advice on what was required for an autism-friendly interview room. Their advice informed the allocation of 3 autism friendly interview rooms, a sensory room that candidates with autism can utilise and both public waiting areas and individual rooms for candidates to wait in. There is some additional work required to fully complete these rooms and PAS will be seeking expert advice to ensure that they are completed to the required standard.

More generally, my Department is committed to reviewing and enhancing policies, processes and structures that promote better inclusion for disabled employees and are considering the relevant recommendations of Autism Committee’s Final Report in this regard.