The National Disability Strategy was launched in September 2004 and its implementation continues to be the focus of Government policy for the sector. Key elements of the Strategy include the Disability Act 2005, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, the Citizens Information Act 2007 and the Sectoral Plans of key Departments which set out how they will deliver services for people with disabilities. However, a specific implementation plan for the strategy had not previously been developed. This Government is now addressing this.

The Programme for Government states that "the Government will publish, following wide consultation, a realistic implementation plan for the National Disability Strategy, including sectoral plans with achievable timescales and targets within available resources and ensure whole of government involvement and monitoring of the Strategy, in partnership with the disability sector".

The Minister for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, Kathleen Lynch, has established and is chairing a new group to develop an implementation plan for progressing the Strategy, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government to reenergise the Strategy and build on the many achievements made to date. The new Group has replaced the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group while maintaining the cross-departmental focus and the collaboration with stakeholders.

The Implementation Plan is developing well with the identification by Departments of actions, timelines and KPIs. Discussions are ongoing between the Disability Stakeholders Group and Government Departments in an effort to reach agreement on the suite of actions contained in the Plan.  Once all parties are agreed on the Plan it will be published as soon as possible thereafter.

The aim of the Implementation Plan is, through engaging with the disability sector and building on the traditional problem-solving and constructive approach of the community and voluntary sector, to make progress to achieve our common interests.  More targeted, innovative and flexible services, designed and delivered on the basis of the evidence drawn from systematic evaluation will help ensure that available resources are used to deliver services that meet the needs of the community as efficiently and effectively as possible. Acknowledging the current economic climate and diminished resources available across Government, this Implementation Plan will seek to ensure available resources are used to the best effect in ensuring that the living standards and access to essential services for people with disabilities are maintained.

The Implementation Group comprises the Senior Officials Group on Disability who represent all relevant departments and agencies across Government. A broad representation of disability organisations and the National Disability Authority have also been appointed to the Group, as have a number of individuals with disabilities who have been appointed in their personal capacity to bring their lived experience to the Group.

To achieve further consultation with people with disabilities, the users of the services provided by public bodies, Minister Lynch has also set up a Disability Forum under the stewardship of the National Disability Authority. The first meeting of the Disability Forum was held on the 19th of June last year and a report of the views expressed form part of the considerations of the Implementation Group in relation to actions in the Implementation Plan.

The National Disability Authority, as before, is helping Departments in setting performance indicators and outcomes for the Plan’s targets. One-on-one meetings with Departments were held during 2012 to assist them in identifying actions to be included in the Implementation Plan. Work by the National Disability Authority in relation to disability indicators has been signed off by the Senior Officials Group on Disability and the Disability Stakeholder Group.

With regard to employment in Government Departments, the Disability Act 2005 provides that public bodies shall, as far as practicable, take all reasonable steps to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities.  It also provides a framework for monitoring the employment target, currently set at 3%, in all public bodies through monitoring committees in Government Departments. The role of the monitoring committees is to monitor, and in consultation with the National Disability Authority, to encourage compliance with the Act by all of the public bodies under the remits of the relevant Ministers. The National Disability Authority has an overall monitoring and reporting role under the Act.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has overall responsibility under the Act for setting and monitoring the target for Government Departments and other bodies staffed by civil servants. Other Ministers are responsible for public bodies that are accountable to them and each Department and Public Body is accountable for its own performance under the Act in promoting and supporting the employment of people with disabilities and meeting the target.

The National Disability Authority has published a report annually on compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act since it became a legal obligation in 2006. The most recent report, published in 2012, is based on data provided for 2011 and shows that, for the first time, the proportion of staff with disabilities reported across the public service as a whole reached 3.1%. Government departments averaged employment of 4.2%. For a number of years all government departments had successfully achieved or surpassed the 3% target, however, in 2011 the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the newly established department with a very small complement of staff was just below the target at 2.4%. It was the only department not to achieve the target in 2011; all other departments achieved compliance with percentages ranging from 3.2% to 6.6%. The Deputy will appreciate that with the significant number of civil servants leaving through early retirement schemes in the last number of years and the current recruitment embargo it is a significant achievement for departments to reach and maintain the target for employment of people with disabilities in recent years.

I understand that the data for the number of employees in Government Departments for 2012 is currently being collected and as such won’t be available until the autumn, however, the percentages achieved, according to the report on 2011 data, by individual government departments is as follows:
Department %
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 3.2%
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 3.2%
Department of Children and Youth Affairs 2.4%
Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources 5.0%
Department of Defence  4.0%
Department of Defence - Civilian Employees 5.4%
Department of Education & Skills 3.4%
Department of Finance 3.9%
Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade 3.5%
Department of Health 6.0%
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation 6.6%
Department of Justice and Equality 5.4%
Department of Public Expenditure & Reform 6.5%
Department of Social Protection 4.2%
Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government 4.1%
Department of the Taoiseach 4.7%
Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport 5.1%
Total average 4.2%

ENDS