Ms Marion Wilkinson:

Our work with employers and our funding of that employer disability information service really was an illustration of all the points Ms McDonnell made. First, employers we were supporting did not know where to go for information. If they were making the decision to recruit somebody with a disability, where did they go? That gap is still in the system. The big issue was then around what questions they should ask at interview, and if a reasonable accommodation is required, where do they go. Really it is about the processes that are involved. The reasonable accommodation fund, as Dr. Hartney said, has been reviewed. We all look forward to the recommendations that come out of that and the fact that an additional €1 million will be added to that budget but what is the process that will happen because it is quick decisions that employers want? They do not want an administrative, bureaucratic system where they have to wait eight weeks to find out if they will get funding. The Employers for Change service that is currently running have said in feedback that a similar service should be available in every region in Ireland. The numbers of employers it is helping is phenomenal. It is pretty similar in its working approach to what we are saying but it is something that needs to be part of the system rather than another pilot project that is just attached to a disability organisation. It has to be seen that this is a place where business goes to.