The Government is to publish a comprehensive employment strategy for people with a disability within weeks. The Cabinet subcommittee on social policy met on Monday and discussed a range of new measures in the sector.

Minister for Children James Reilly gave a presentation on the possibility of extending the support of special-needs assistants to preschool children in mainstream schools.

This could mean assistants could be hired to work in preschools in an effort to intervene at the earliest stage.

A Government source said: “It is accepted that the supports that are there at present are not satisfactory and people are assigned supports on an ad-hoc basis. Minister Reilly worked with the Departments of Education and Health and the aim is to have a system that can operate throughout the country.”

Working group

The plans were not signed off but the Minister was given approval to set up a working group to examine this area.

Minister of State for Equality Aodhán Ó Ríordáin also gave a presentation on the new employment strategy for disabled people.

The proposals are due to be released in a number of weeks but are said to include a number of targets to reach full employment. They will be sent to the various interest groups for consideration and then will come before Cabinet within weeks.

The new strategy has included input from the Departments of Social Protection and Health.

Empowering employers

A senior source said it will be about empowering employers to hire those with disabilities and to assist those who acquire a disability in their employment.

The Government source said: “There will be individual measures with clear targets. The targets are reasonably ambitious. This is an issue of justice, not charity.”

The Cabinet subcommittee, attended by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, also agreed to ensure the Assisted Decision Making Bill will be passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas by the summer.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has vowed to have the law passed before the summer recess.

Up to 600,000 people in Ireland are affected by some level of disability.