22 Mr. Hyland asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the number of disabled people employed in the public service; if he has satisfied himself with the level of recruitment of disabled people by the public service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6660/97]

30 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the funding which will be made available to the Council for the Status of People with Disabilities; the staffing arrangements, if any, which have been agreed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6661/97]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 30 together.

The monitoring committee on the employment of people with disabilities, which operated on foot of the provisions of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work, carried out a survey to determine the position at end-December 1995 in relation to the employment of people with disabilities in the public service. I understand that the survey determined that there were 2,654 people with disabilities employed in the public service at that time. This represented 1.49 per cent of the total number employed. Work remains to be done to achieve the 3 per cent quota already reached in the Civil Service. My Department has engaged in consultations with the Departments of Finance, Health and Environment to ensure that human resource managers in bodies under their control are aware of the Government's commitment to reaching the 3 per cent quota and to ensure that every effort is made to reach it as soon as possible. An officer of my Department also served on the monitoring committee.

Partnership 2000 for inclusion, employment and competitiveness provides that the 3 per cent quota will be met in the public service during the period of the partnership. In this regard, the following measures will be undertaken: responsibility for meeting the target will be assigned to a senior executive in each health board, local authority, vocational education committee and State-sponsored body; a co-ordinated strategy will be put in place including, the preparation and active promotion of codes of practice on the employment of people with disabilities, similar to existing codes in the Civil Service and the ESB; the maintenance of proper records of employment of people with disabilities, subject to the requirement of confidentiality and privacy; and the identification of suitable employment opportunities, targets and specific timescales.