Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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1890. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline the work being undertaken in her Department to increase access to employment for disabled people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20281/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for this question. The Government acknowledges that considerable barriers to employment exist for people with disabilities and that the rate of unemployment among disabled people is unacceptably high. Government policy is to continually increase the number of people with disabilities in employment and while there is more to be done, progress has been made to ensure that disabled people are supported to pursue meaningful careers in their chosen fields.

I am committed to ensuring that disabled people of all ages and genders are supported to live full lives of their own choosing, on an equitable basis with all others in society. In terms of direct action within my own remit, my Department has taken targeted action in providing funding to OpenDoors for the Employers for Change and Towards Work programmes. Employers for Change provides employers with information and advice needed to hire, employ, manage and retain staff with disabilities. My Department also funds the Towards Work programme which provides supports for disabled people seeking to access employment or entrepreneurship. Additionally, school leavers or persons exiting rehabilitative training will be facilitated to defer their day service placement for up to five years in order to pursue further education, training, or employment, without losing their entitlement to their place.

However, the issue of employment supports, labour market activation, and employer outreach, principally fall to my colleagues the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, including in relation to disabled persons.

To develop and coordinate the necessary whole of government work on disability issues, my Department is leading on the development of the next National Disability Strategy, which will be a framework for ambitious joined up action on disability policy. Employment will be one of five thematic pillars that will capture the spectrum of issues affecting the day-to-day lives of disabled people.

Following a comprehensive public consultation process, ongoing engagement with a range of disability stakeholders and extensive cross-government collaboration, the Strategy is now at an advanced stage of development.