The main item on the meeting’s agenda: employment of people with disabilities.
Dmitry Medvedev’s introductory remarks:
Government meeting
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Today’s Government meeting is somewhat unusual, not least because this is the last meeting of the year and because we’ll be meeting with the President after we finish.
Parliament is now in recess. I would like to note that our joint efforts with the State Duma and the Federation Council were quite fruitful in 2013: 193 laws were passed during the autumn session. Of these, 117 were submitted by the Government, and another 15 federal laws were approved taking into account amendments proposed by the Government.
I would like to thank all who were involved in drafting the laws and all Government members present here today, since this work requires a lot of effort and attention, sometimes it can even become quite emotional. I would like to extend special thanks to Russia’s Federal Assembly, the State Duma and the Federation Council, for effectively cooperating with the Government. This is how work should be done to bring about effective solutions.
A few words on today’s agenda. This may be the last Government meeting of the year, but the agenda is anything but short, with over 30 items on the list. The first item is about providing employment opportunities to people with disabilities, which is still a major issue at the moment. There are currently about 13 million people with disabilities in Russia. Of these, about 2.5 million people are of an active working age. However, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that only 30% of them, or 800,000 people, are employed. It goes without saying that these people are also not in the best jobs, both in terms of labour conditions and remuneration.
Dmitry Medvedev: «We are focusing hard on creating these special workplaces and the Government allocates subsidies to the regions for this purpose. This year, provisions were made to assign about 800 million roubles from the federal budget and almost 1.6 billion roubles from regional budgets for this.»
Being able to work means that disabled people can live a decent life and, more importantly, it has a major impact on their psychological well-being. It helps them not to feel isolated from everyday life and the world. Those who are willing to work sometimes face serious obstacles, among which is the lack of facilities and workplaces suitable for people with disabilities. I would like to remind you that in the years to come, up to 14,200 special workplaces should be created every year in accordance with a Presidential Executive Order to this effect. At the present time, at least 30,000 disabled people, about a fifth of those who filed applications with employment services, need special workplaces of this kind. All in all, we are focusing hard on creating these special workplaces and the Government allocates subsidies to the regions for this purpose. This year, provisions were made to assign about 800 million roubles from the federal budget and almost 1.6 billion roubles from regional budgets for this. In 2014 and 2015 the funding for these initiatives will be increased, despite tight budgetary constraints.
Dmitry Medvedev: «In 2011-2013, the employment rate among people with disabilities climbed from 30% to 40%. This is a modest result, but the positive trend is evident. In 2013, the number of disabled people in need of employment declined 5%, statistics show. At the same time, the number of disabled people who want to start their own business rose 8%.»
Measures that were already implemented are yielding results. In 2011-2013, the employment rate among people with disabilities climbed from 30% to 40%. This is a modest result, but the positive trend is evident. In 2013, the number of disabled people in need of employment declined 5%, statistics show. At the same time, the number of disabled people who want to start their own business rose 8%.
All in all, initiatives are being carried out across the country to provide people with disabilities the opportunity to benefit from specially created workplaces. Moscow and St Petersburg are funding these initiatives from city budgets without federal funding and should be praised for doing so. In the meantime, regions should step up their efforts in addressing this issue, including as part of the Accessible Environment State Programme, which is expected to ensure that people with disabilities benefit from a barrier-free access to the facilities and services they need the most. In 2014, at least 60 constituent entities of the Russian Federation will participate in this programme, and allocations for these initiatives will total 4 billion roubles.
The efficiency of the quota employment system should also be increased. A number of laws were passed this year to put institutional pressure on employers to reserve workplaces for people with disabilities. Incidentally, this issue was already raised at one of the meetings I chaired.
Employment services have stepped up their efforts: on the one hand, they are now actively involved with employers and collect data on career opportunities, and, on the other hand, they help people with disabilities to find the right job. Community-focused non-profits are facilitating this process. These kinds of organisations have been set up in more than half of Russian regions, and are also supported by the Government.
Dmitry Medvedev: «It goes without saying that this work should be continued, so that on top of improvements in employment data, labour conditions and individual skills are taken into account. Make no mistake, this should not only be about creating employment opportunities in the public sector, but a wider range of employers, including state-owned companies and the private sector.»
It goes without saying that this work should be continued, so that on top of improvements in employment data, labour conditions and individual skills are taken into account. Make no mistake, this should not only be about creating employment opportunities in the public sector, but a wider range of employers, including state-owned companies and the private sector. Labour laws should also be respected so that people with disabilities are not simply employed and then immediately fired. We will hear a report from the relevant minister, as well as feedback from the regions.
The approval of the South of Russia Federal Targeted Programme is also on today’s agenda. The programme is expected to run for seven years, from 2014 until 2020. Construction of facilities started under the same programme for 2008-2013 must be completed. Efforts to upgrade healthcare and education systems in the Southern Federal District should also carry on. The situation is not simple there in this respect. I won’t go into details again. You are well aware of it – it concerns schools and healthcare institutions. The amount of money allocated to this end is quite large, about 190 billion roubles, but, firstly, this money should be spent as efficiently as possible, and secondly, money is not a solution to all the problems. I hope that the return from these funds will be better than in the previous period. And, of course, it is important to change the economic activity in the region, to attract investments and create jobs. We will sort out these issues also as part of work carried out by the Government Commission on the Socio-Economic Development of the North Caucasus Federal District. Recently, we have held a meeting focusing mostly on energy. I’ve been given the minutes and I have some questions. Mr Khloponin (addressing Alexander Khloponin, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District). Can you come and talk to me later, because, I think there are some issues which have not been included in the minutes.
And we have another document concerning the plans for state defence order. This topic is usually raised at closed discussions, I’ll just say that this work will be continued, I mean the plans for the 2014 – 2016 period. A significant sum of money will be allocated from the federal budget and we should not just ensure that the defence order is executed, but also strictly monitor all the aspects of its execution, starting from prices and finishing with the quality of the machinery and equipment supplied.
Let’s start discussing the first issue.
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