Disability Issues
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-15
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Dara Calleary (FF), Mayo

I will engage with the Minister, Deputy Naughton, in relation to Scoil Eoin and its designation. We want to continue to raise the profile of people with intellectual disabilities in employment throughout 2026. During the course of the year, we will have a specific range of training and work events for employers, offering opportunities for those with disabilities. I say again to all employers that they are missing out on serious talent and skills if they do not recruit people with disabilities. I commend all of the employers who avail of the wage subsidy scheme and encourage and offer opportunities to people with disabilities. We will continue to work with various groups on the wage subsidy scheme, employability services and the WorkAbility scheme, which are on-the-ground responses, working in specific areas with specific responses. I am happy to continue working with these schemes and to continue funding them to enhance their approach.
We continue to support the upskilling of staff in the Department on how we treat people with disabilities, in particular, through the just-a-minute, or JAM, initiative being rolled out across the Department.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-15