Dr. Aideen Hartney:

It came through very clearly in the Rehab examples that employers respond well to peer to peer support, information and advice and the ability to ask questions and get information in what is seen as a safe space. We previously funded a pilot programme in the earlier years of the strategy where the employer bodies, Irish Small and Medium Employers, ISME, IBEC and Chambers Ireland came together to run such a support. Since then the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has been funding an organisation called Employers for Change to do that type of work. Our advice on that is that it is a hugely valuable resource, well responded to by employers. It becomes an issue if there is not a sustainable programme of funding, and it becomes an issue again if it is perceived as a specialist disability service. We feel that probably a mainstream Department like the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment might have a role to play there in conjunction with the employer engagement unit in the Department of Social Protection. Again it is the Government that is behind this rather than a disability organisation, which again does not lead to the best outcomes for employers. I know Ms Wilkinson did a lot of work on it and I also see Dr. Tamming wishes to contribute on this.