People with a disability now make up 3% of the workers in the public service. It is the first time the government has reached its target since it was set out in 1977.

The Minister for Justice and Equality Alan Shatter welcomed the news pointing out that it came against he backdrop of decreasing numbers in the public sector overall.

The total number of staff working in the public service has been decreasing since 2007 with a fall of more than 33,000 since the peak. However there has been an increase in the reported number of people with disabilities working there from 5,879 in 2007 to 6,171 in 2011.

The 2011 figure represented a reported increase of 423 employees with disabilities as compared with 2010 and reversed the 2010 downward trend. The National Disability Authority (NDA) says the best performing parts of the public service were government departments.

More disability-friendly workplaces

The 3% target was first introduced in 1977 and became a requirement in 2006. The NDA says this was achieved "as a result of a range of actions to improve retention and recruitment policies and initiatives to make public service workplace culture more disability-friendly".

In particular it says more accurate and comprehensive data collection in some public bodies ensured that progress in this area was recorded accurately.

Justice Minister Shatter said "Ensuring that persons with disabilities have access to public sector employment is important so that the range of skills, educational qualifications and abilities which they possess are more fully utilised for the benefit of the wider community and for their own benefit".

"It is right that we have a more inclusive working environment which harnesses the potential of all" he added.