Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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It is good to have representatives of the alliance of the five DPOs here today. I do not want to go over what other people have talked about. I apologise because I had to go to another meeting. The committee has heard that employers are given support to take on people with disabilities but self-employed people do not get supports to help themselves. That is an issue. Will the witnesses discuss what must be included in a new national disability inclusion strategy and employment strategy to ensure that the issue is addressed for self-employed people with disabilities? It is an area we are beginning to address, and I was self-employed before I entered politics.

Sometimes they are left on their own. I know a lot has been done, but we need to do a bit more for people with disabilities. WorkAbility was set up in 2023 and provided funding to local, regional and national projects with a focus on achieving improved employment outcomes for people with disabilities through a range of support measures. Do the witnesses have any feedback on the operation of this scheme? Has it been a success or is there anything else we need to do?