Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection

Pathways to Work: Department of Social Protection

2:00 pm

Ms Anne Vaughan:

All right.

On people with disabilities, the opening statement was lengthy and our main focus was on JobPath, because that is what we understood members' interest to be. Members will see in the Pathways to Work document that while our immediate focus at present is on people who are long-term unemployed on the live register, there certainly are references to people who are not on the register. Again, people with disabilities should be able to access employability services locally and this is something on which one of my departmental colleagues is very strong. We have sent out instructions or circulars to our offices and my understanding was that it was fine. In fact, when I attended an Intreo opening, in Wexford as it happened, the person involved there was very satisfied. I will have a look at any issues but I would not disagree at all with what the Senator was saying. Moreover, she will find references to other groups of people in the Pathways to Work document. The latest tranche of the MOMENTUM programme was launched recently and it again comprises 6,000 places.

In so far as the Senator was asking me about the various targets and the target of 75,000-----