Policymakers must be “in tune” with the needs of people with disabilities, according to a Mayo minister.
Fine Gael TD for Mayo and Junior Minister at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment Alan Dillon attended Fine Gael’s Disability Network conference in Galway on Saturday.
The conference featured panel discussions involving people with disabilities outlining their lived experiences.
Minister Dillon spoke alongside other Fine Gael politicians, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, at the event, and one of the things he discussed was
enabling people with disabilities to enter employment.
Ireland has one of the largest disability employment gaps in Europe, with 36.7% of people with disabilities in unemployment according to the European Union’s 2025 Country Report for Ireland.
Minister Dillon spoke to Midwest Radio’s Scott Stephens at the conference, and he began by explaining what the event was about.
https://www.midwestradio.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DILLONDISABILITY.mp3