334 Mr. Dennehy asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department is meeting the agreed national target figures for employment of persons with a disability; his views on whether that figure is adequate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13276/06]

The Disability Act 2005 provides a new statutory basis for the implementation and compliance monitoring of the 3% employment target in the public sector. The current position in the Department of Social and Family Affairs is that 155, 3.3%, of the total staff are persons with declared disabilities. In line with the provisions of the Disability Act, specific commitments to human resources and employment practices for staff with disabilities will be included in the Department's sectorial plan which is in preparation. In addition, the Department is participating in the willing able mentoring project during this summer. The project, administered by the Association of Higher Education Access and Disability, aims to provide temporary placements with public and private sector employers to graduates with disabilities.