Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 October 2013
52. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to make more of the labour market activation programmes available to person with a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43801/13]
View answerThe department provides a wide range of income and work-related supports (previously operated by FAS) for people with disabilities. These include the EmployAbility service (formerly the Supported Employment Programme) which facilitates the integration of people with disabilities into paid employment in the open labour market; and a number of employment supports aimed at employers (the Wage Subsidy Scheme - which pays an employer a subsidy for employing a person with a disability – the Work Equipment Adaptation Grant, the Employee Retention Grant, and the Disability Awareness Scheme). Community Employment (CE) schemes are also available to people with disabilities.
In relation to activation measures for people with disabilities, I would also like to point out that I launched the Disability Activation Project at the end of 2012. This is providing over €7 million to 14 projects (which will run until early 2015) across the BMW region to address four specific strands around the employment of people with disabilities : (i) Improving Access to Employment, (ii) Progression Programmes for Young People,(iii) Support for Progression and Retention of People with an Acquired Disability; and (iv) Innovative Employer Initiatives.
I am confident that these projects will provide invaluable guidance and learning on how best to ensure that the untapped potential of people with disabilities is allowed to flourish and that they are enabled to participate fully in the labour market. The outcomes of these projects will be crucial in determining the optimum approaches which can be taken in relation to mainstreaming activation measures generally for people with disabilities. In the meantime, while priority is being given to unemployed people on the Live Register in terms of the INTREO service at the moment, it is open to any person with a disability to apply to avail of the service.
