Bid to boost employment rate for disabled

EFFORTS are to be made to bring an extra 7,000 workers with disabilities into employment by 2010, but that still means close to two-thirds of people with disabilities will remain outside the workforce.

The longer-term target is to raise the employment rate of people with disabilities from the level of 37% to 45% by 2016, and to ensure at least a further 5% are in full-time education or training - but that too will leave 50% without a paid job.

A fund of €260 million is to be made available under the National Development Plan (NDP) for the Education Disabilities Support Programme to help find a path to employment for people with disabilities.