I call Deputy Howlin.

According to the latest labour force survey, there are, thankfully, more than 2.3 million people employed in the country, but also some 128,000 unemployed people. Alongside that measure of unemployment, nearly 1.5 million people of working age are not in the labour force. Our employment rate is less than 60%, compared with more than 70% in many developed European countries. Part of that gap is explained by historical patterns of gender difference in the labour market and part by the number of young people in education. We need to address both of those issues.

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. One of the calls being made is to increase opportunities for people with disabilities to access jobs. Tens of thousands of people with disabilities are frustrated at being deprived of the opportunity to work. There may be a requirement in some instances for employers to make minor adjustments to the workspace to facilitate a wheelchair or to make changes in work times to facilitate someone who needs to attend regular appointments etc. Some employers may be worried about extra costs, but we really need to get to grips with this issue. Does the Taoiseach agree with my views on this matter? What is the Government going to do to facilitate those with disabilities to participate fully in the labour force?

I thank Deputy Howlin for raising the fact that today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It is appropriate that we discuss this. As Deputy Howlin points out, many people with disabilities would like to work if they can be assisted and facilitated to do so. There are, however, many barriers to doing so, and our job as a Government and a Legislature is to remove some of those barriers. Examples of what we are doing include situations such as where a person might be receiving disability allowance and then takes up employment. People in that situation can now keep their free travel for at least five years, and that kicked in last year. We have also changed the medical card limits in respect of the disability allowance. Many people on disability payments fear losing their medical card if they go to work, so we have changed the rules in that area.

We have also changed the disability allowance rules to provide that if a disabled person takes up work and it does not work out, and sometimes it does not, he or she can get the disability allowance payment restarted quickly. There is also a grant for employers to make adaptions to the workplace to facilitate people with disabilities, particularly physical disabilities. Sadly, that grant is undersubscribed every year. It is paid for by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. We would like to see it availed of more. We have set a target of increasing the number of people with disabilities working in the public service from 3% to 6%. Those are the kinds of thing we are taking action on. I thank the Deputy for drawing the attention of the House to the fact that today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities.