Vol. 508 No. 2
18 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Health and Children if adequate funding will be made available in the ESF operational programme as provided in the national action plan for the years 2000-06 to ensure the services and training for people with disabilities provided at Roslyn Park College, Sandymount, are maintained and developed. [18312/99]
61 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received a submission from an association (details supplied) on funding of vocational training for people with disabilities in the operational programme 2000 to 2006; if so, his response to the changes sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18233/99]
71 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received a submission from an association (details supplied) concerning the funding of vocational training for people with disabilities; and if he will process the steps required to ensure the Exchequer funding required for the training detailed is made available. [18311/99]
103 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children if adequate funding will be made available in the ESF operational programme as provided in the national action plan for the years 2000-06 to ensure the services and training for people with disabilities provided at Roslyn Park College, Sandymount, are maintained and developed. [18405/99]
106 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received a submission from a body (details supplied) concerning the funding of vocational training for people with disabilities; and if he will process the steps required to ensure the Exchequer funding required for the training is made available. [18408/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 61, 71, 103 and 106 together.
I refer the Deputy to yesterday's reply to similar questions. In that reply, I indicated that officials of my Department have been in consultation with the Department of Finance and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on future funding arrangements for rehabilitative and vocational training for people with a disability.
Discussions on the next operational programme and its measures are ongoing between relevant Departments and the European Commission. Similarly, negotiations on the national development plan, NDP, have yet to be completed.
The backdrop to the inter-departmental discussions, related to the disability sector, is the planned change in institutional responsibilities for services for people with a disability set out in the report, Building a Future Together. The relevant recommendation which is being acted upon is that responsibility for vocational training for people with a disability will be mainstreamed at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. That Department is also the lead Department for the current human resources development operational programme and is spearheading the discussions on the next operational programme and the national action plan, for employment.
Officials of my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have been anxious to ensure that the NDP and the NAP satisfactorily provide the emphasis necessary to maintain, at a minimum, the current level of vocational training for people with a disability and that, where possible, additional supports will be made available for the years 2000 to 2006. This is against a background where reduced funding will be available from EU sources and priorities for expenditure will be solidly linked to the objectives of the NAP.
Future details of vocational training supports for people with a disability in the next operational programme, when they become clear, should be available from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
