Public bodies including HSE did not achieve minimum 3% employment target for people with disabilities in 2016-2017, report found
The HSE is one of a number of public bodies named by the National Disability Authority in its latest annual report as falling short of compliance levels in 2016 and 2017, under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005, which requires them to report on their employment of people with disabilities.
Government Departments and public bodies have legal obligations in relation to the employment of persons with disabilities and ensuring a minimum target of 3% of the workforce is achieved.
Under a section of the Disability Act, the NDA may make a request to a public body so it can assess compliance in meeting the minimum 3% employment target for two consecutive years, and if there were valid reasons that prevented any public body from doing so.
According to the NDA annual report for 2020, which has been laid before the Oireachtas: "The NDA was pleased to note that 80% of Government Departments succeeded in submitting their Part 5 returns on or before the statutory deadline of 30 June, despite the pandemic."
However, it said that due to overall growth in the number of people employed in the public sector, the percentage of people with a disability as a percentage of the workforce fell in 2019.
"In summary, the report outlined that overall, the public sector continued to exceed the current minimum target of 3% for the ninth successive year.
"However, the overall number and percentage of employees reporting a disability decreased from 7,585 (3.3%) in 2018 to 7,319 (3.1%), a decrease of 265 (-3.5%) from the 2018 figures.
"The NDA advises that given this decrease, it will be important for all public bodies to ensure continued efforts to recruit and retain persons with disabilities, particularly as the target is scheduled to increase to 6% by 2024, as per a commitment in the Programme for Government."
In making final determinations of non-compliance for the years 2016 and 2017, the NDA said three bodies — the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB), the Health Research Board (HRB), and the HSE — warranted a determination.
"In their responses to the draft determinations of non-compliance, the PIAB, the HRB, and the HSE provided little evidence that they had proactive measures in place, during this two year period, to support employees to share their disability status or to increase the recruitment of persons with disabilities," it said.
The NDA also decided that four public bodies — the HSE, PIAB, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the National Gallery of Ireland — should receive draft determinations of non-compliance for 2017 and 2018.
"These four public bodies provided little evidence, during this two year period, that they put proactive measures in place to support employees to share their disability status and to increase the recruitment of persons with disabilities," it said.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara said it was committed to supporting staff with disabilities via a comprehensive Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Action Plan recently sent to the NDA.
The NDA added that the responses from these public bodies to these draft determinations would be reviewed in 2021 before any NDA decision as to whether they warrant a final determination of non-compliance for 2017 and 2018. The NDA said it had had "constructive" dialogue with the named bodies. The report on compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005, for 2020, contains updated information on the NDA’s engagement with these bodies. This report will be published in 2022.
The report said a designated team has been appointed to work with the HSE, which in turn said "addressing its issues with data collection was a priority".
