Monitoring Committee on the implementation of the 3% employment quota for Persons with Disabilities in the Public Service - Ireland

Source: Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform chairs a Committee whose task is to monitor and guide progress towards achievement of the 3% employment target for persons with disabilities in the public sector. The Monitoring Committee comprises representatives of Government Departments and the social partners. The initiatives are being undertaken with the support of the Monitoring Committee.

The 3% target for the employment of people with disabilities in the public sector is a Government-led positive action measure to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into employment. Public service employers are expected to take specific initiatives, suited to their circumstances, to recruit and retain employees with disabilities in order to meet the target in the committed timeframe.

The definition of a person with a disability for the purposes of the 3% target is a person with a physical, sensory or psychological impairment which may:

• have a tangible impact on their functional capability to do a particular job; or
• have an impact on their ability to function in a particular physical environment; or
• lead to a discrimination in obtaining or keeping employment of a kind for which they would otherwise be suited.

The Monitoring Committee for the 3% target has agreed an outline code of practice for the employment of people with disabilities which provides a useful template for most public service organisations. The Monitoring Committee has asked all public service organisations to develop and adopt a code of practice suitable to their needs. Public service employers have been asked to report to the Monitoring Committee on whether they have a code of practice in place through the Annual Census of People with Disabilities in the Public Service.

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