James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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387. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures she is taking to ensure that public bodies meet the minimum 6% statutory employment target for persons with disabilities in the public sector, as set out in part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity), (Amendment), Act 2022. [22230/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for this question. I am committed to increasing the rate of employment of people with disabilities in the public service. Public bodies must continue to take the initiative on this issue and lead by positive example.

Part 5 of the Disability Act, 2005 sets out obligations on public bodies to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities. These obligations previously set a minimum target that 3% of public sector workers should be people with disabilities. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022, commenced in April of 2023, commits to the phased doubling of that statutory target on a phased basis - going from 3% to 4.5% in 2024 and to 6% from January 2025. Part 5 of the Disability Act provides for individual Ministerial accountability for public bodies under their aegis regarding compliance with disability employment targets.

The National Disability Authority (NDA) prepares an annual report on compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act each year. The most recent Report covers the figures for 2022. Overall, the then minimum target of 3% was exceeded by the public service for the twelfth year in a row, standing at an overall figure of 4.1 %. The NDA report on compliance in 2022 indicates that 48.4% of public bodies were already meeting the new target of 6%. This represents a positive increase on the previous year's figure of 36.6%.

The NDA Compliance Report for 2023 is currently under review by my Department, following which it will be published on the NDA website. The NDA can follow up a finding of any public body being in breach of the target for two successive years with recommendations for action that body can take to achieve compliance, subject to the approval of the relevant Minister.

The upward trend of recent years is encouraging and as Minister for Disability I will continue to promote more accessible and inclusive pathways into the public sector workforce, seeking to ensure that the 6% target is reached and surpassed in 2025 and beyond.

Within the context of developing the next National Disability Strategy, Employment will be a central Pillar and my officials have been liaising closely with counterparts across government, including in the National Disability Authority and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, and Reform, in developing a coordinated plan to improve and enhance public sector employment for persons with disabilities.