Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1085. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if funding will be made available in 2023 for the 27 ability group programmes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42462/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1086. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will issue an update in respect of funding from the dormant funds account to support persons (details supplied). [42464/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1087. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has engaged with the Minister for Health in respect of a petition (details supplied) regarding the continued use of dormant account funds. [42465/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1085, 1086 and 1087 together.
The Ability Programme, introduced in June 2018, was a three-year pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities, managed by my department. The funding for the programme amounted to around €16 million and was provided jointly under the European Union’s ESF 2014-2020 Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning Operational Programme and the Irish Exchequer.
Funding to the amount of €720,000 was awarded to the organisation the Deputy references under the former Ability Programme and the organisation had a target of working with 250 participants over the course of the programme. The activity funded under this programme was designed to end on 30 June 2020. However, the organisation in question requested and were granted an extension to this project to the end of December 2020. Expenditure at project end was €530,385 with 59 young people having participated in the project (24% of target).
Last year, I put a plan in place to allow for the transition of the remaining Ability providers and participants to new arrangements and this was agreed with the Ability Providers Subgroup. This included a two-month extension to the 26 organisations still operating under the programme at that time. The organisation referenced by the Deputy was no longer in contract as of end of December 2020 and were therefore not offered this extension. The Ability Programme concluded at the end of August 2021 and, in line with commitments under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy, the Final Evaluation of the Programme was published.
The current Dormant Accounts Fund Measure to Support the Employment of People with Disabilities was a new employment support measure for people with disabilities. On 30 July last year I announced that 45 projects had been funded up to an amount of €7.6 million. This programme began in September 2021 and runs up to the end of 2022. All organisations were notified of the relevant timelines in advance, and this was clearly indicated in the Call for Applications in April of last year. All 27 organisations who received funding under the former Ability Programme were successful in securing funding under this new measure. The organisation referenced by the Deputies has been awarded €200,000 under this initiative.
It was agreed last year that a new employment programme for people with disabilities would be included in the new Operational Programme for Ireland under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) 2021-2027. This new disability focused employment measure will build on the learnings of the former Ability Programme. The new programme will also need to add complementarity to the suite of existing employment supports targeted at people with disabilities provided by my department and broader national strategies for employment of people with disabilities, including the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.
The ESF Managing Authority in Ireland - based in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science - has compiled the Operational Programme for Ireland which has been approved by Government. The Operational Programme has been formally submitted to the European Commission. It is expected that Commission approval will be communicated in the latter part of the year.
Once approval is in place, it is anticipated that the new disability programme will be open by way of a competitive process in 2023 to applications from organisations across the country including the 27 former Ability Programme organisations.
I can assure the Deputies that my commitment in relation to providing funding supports to improve the employment possibilities of people with disabilities has not been found wanting to date and that the concern that the Deputies have raised is fully recognised. The Deputies will understand that commitments regarding the allocation of public expenditure are subject to the overall budgetary context and will be considered in that context over the coming weeks.
Finally, I can confirm that I have not engaged with the Minister of Health in this matter as the funding schemes in question are a matter for my Department.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputies at this time.
