Vol. 469 No. 4
5 Dr. Woods asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the action, if any, he is taking to ensure that the Social and Structural Funds of the EU actively contribute towards women's equality, the promotion of people with disabilities and of members of the travelling community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17307/96]
My Department has no involvement in relation to the provision of Social and Structural Funds to people with disabilities or the travelling community.
The Community Support Framework for Ireland for 1994-99, which includes the Social and Structural Funds of the EU, contains a standard clause requiring the actions and measures taken within the framework to promote equality of opportunities between men and women. In particular, in the area of the human resources operational programme, which provides training and retraining for those in employment and those seeking reintegration into the labour market, some £7.7 million has been dedicated to special provision for women. This involves support for employment and training courses for women returning to work, management training, training for non-traditional work, for child-care workers and managers and guidance and information initiatives for women.
A Nova Project under the European Social Fund entitled Quality through Equality, which was organised by the Employment Equality Agency under the aegis of my Department and which has just been completed, has developed practical models of equal opportunities policies for application in the public and private sectors which should help to actively promote equality in employment.
I have also availed of the opportunity of Ireland's Presidency of the EU to specifically promote equal opportunities with regard to Structural Funds. A recent Council of Social Affairs Ministers in Brussels recorded political agreement on this measure which is expected to be formally adopted in the near future. I have also put forward a draft resolution on equal opportunities for women and men and the EU Structural Funds, for adoption by the Social Affairs Council as a Presidency initiative. The resolution is intended to give renewed impetus and commitment to the principle of mainstreaming gender equality into Structural Fund programmes, especially in the context of the mid-term review. This resolution has been agreed and will be adopted at a forthcoming meeting of the Council.
I also propose to host an EU Presidency conference on disability equality in mid-November at which the issue of Social and Structural Funds for people with disabilities will be discussed.
I understand that the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities has examined this issue and I await any recommendations that might ensue.
Would the Minister agree that during this period of tremendous expansion, development and investment in this country by our European Union partners, particularly while we hold the Presidency, many of the developments which have been sought after over the years, especially for people with disabilities, should be put into operation? Would the Minister arrange to monitor what is happening so that he can report back to the House on the extent to which these funds are being used, in particular to ensure that people with disabilities benefit from Structural Funds? I note the Minister says that he will have a conference in mid-November at which some of these issues can be raised and discussed. It is crucial that steps be taken and funds used to promote the well being of people with disabilities in our society.
That relates to access to buildings and transport and a number of other issues on which I had tabled questions to the Minister which were transferred to other Ministers. In this regard there is a monitoring role for the Minister for Equality and Law Reform.
The question of rights for people with disabilities is a matter of major concern to the Government. That is part of the reason for the introduction of the Employment Equality Bill and Equal Status Bill which will provide major protections for people with disabilities.
At EU level, the position regarding people with disabilities is different in character from that on gender issue in the sense that the question of equal opportunities between men and women is of course addressed in the existing treaty whereas people with disabilities are not dealt with in the existing EU treaties. However, the question of including reference to people with disabilities and making provision for them in some respect is under active consideration in the Intergovernmental Conference to lead to a new EU treaty. That is a very welcome development. My Department is actively involved in prosecuting that and I hope the new EU treaty which will come about when the Intergovernmental Conference concludes will have major provisions for people with disabilities.
In the meantime, various fundings are provided, such as Helios and Horizon. There are three anti-poverty programmes which provide social fund assistance to those groups and have done so over the past decade. My Department has no direct involvement in dealing with those funds but we will remain in close consultation with the Departments which have the responsibilities for administering those funds. We will of course continue to press for equivalent funding in future years.
I listened to the Minister speak on the Intergovernmental Conference with regard to people with disabilities and I have just come from a meeting of the Select Committee on Finance and General Affairs where people with disabilities from the Centre for Independent Living and Rehab painted a bleak picture in regard to the urgent need for funding. I am delighted that this is being looked at seriously. Rehab made the case for funding for its workshops and to expand the excellent Gandon Project, which involves people with and without disabilities working together in the workplace. Will the Minister ensure that funding for the needs of people with disabilities in both organisations is a priority?
Rehab has upwards of 600 or 700 people on projects at present and there is no funding. The organisation is over £2 million in the red and if the Minister is committed to assisting and supporting them, as he just said, it will happen in the budget. I am delighted to hear what he said.
The Deputy is raising a specific matter.
I am aware of the excellent work done by the two organisations to which Deputy Wallace referred and I agree that they do remarkable and important work. I cannot make any comment on their particular funding because I am not involved in it. I think it is addressed through the Minister for Health and I suggest that Deputy Wallace raises a question with the Minister in that regard.
We now come to other questions. Question No. 6 is in the name of Deputy Quill.
