To ask the Minister for the Economy for his assessment of the disability employment gap in Northern Ireland, which currently stands at 42 per cent, compared to the UK average of 28 per cent.

The disability employment gap in Northern Ireland is significant and needs to be addressed.

My Department already provides a wide range of support for people with disabilities across the further and higher education sectors, in our training, reskilling and upskilling programmes, as well as through the Careers Service. We recognise that more needs to be done and my officials are working closely with the Department for Communities as they develop a Disability Employment Strategy for Northern Ireland.

My Department’s 10X economic vision strives for growth through innovation and for this growth to be inclusive. It recognises the need to capture how our economic policy improves the standard of living and wellbeing throughout society. We are clear that we want to design our policies and programmes so that the rewards are distributed fairly across people and places, creating opportunities for all.

In addition, my Department’s recently published Skills Strategy provides us with a key platform for driving forward responses to this type of under representation. The Skills Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (SEDI) sub-committee of the Northern Ireland Skills Council has been established to look at access and participation for those in under-represented or disadvantaged groups. The aim is to identify barriers and advise on policy solutions and actions to help drive change. Disability and access to skills has been one of the first substantive issues considered by the SEDI sub-committee and this work is continuing.