Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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345. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide a breakdown, by Department or office, of the percentage of employees who have disclosed a disability for the past ten years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20011/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Defence employs both civil servants and civilian employees. Civilian employees are employed to support the operational capability of the Defence Forces and work in various military installations. My Department has undertaken, where practicable, to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities. The Department continues to operate in a non-discriminatory environment in accordance with the Equality Acts and aims to ensure that the principles of employment equality are implemented in recruitment, promotion and training. Recruitment for my Department is open to all suitably qualified applicants and reasonable accommodations are afforded to those when required.

In compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005, statistics on the number of staff working with a disability within my Department are compiled and submitted to the National Disability Authority annually. The figures are compiled retrospectively during the first quarter of each year in respect of the previous year and therefore, the return for 2025 has not yet been made. The following table outlines those who have declared a disability over the past ten years. However, it should be noted that there is no onus on a staff member to declare a disability.