Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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2629. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development 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. [20576/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is an equal opportunities employer and is fully committed to supporting the health and safety needs of all employees, including employees with disabilities. Section 47(1) (a) of the Disability Act 2005 requires public bodies to take all reasonable measures to promote and support the employment of persons with disabilities. To assist the Department in fulfilling its obligations under the Act a Departmental Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) is in place.

The minimum statutory employment target for employees with disabilities in the Public Sector has increased from 3% to 4.5% in 2024 and will increase further to 6% by 2025. My Department has reached these targets and will continue to focus on this in the coming years.

The following table provides the percentage of employees in my Department who declared a disability from 2017 to 2024. The figures included for 2023 and 2024 are provisional as the National Disability Authority (NDA) has not yet published the 2023 or 2024 Report on Compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005.