Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The community employment scheme is being refocused into two main strands. The first, activation, is directed at persons who are long-term unemployed and involved in a pathway back to work.

The second is social inclusion. People who are on a disability allowance, as the Deputy will know, are not part of the activation process because they are registered with the Department as having an illness or need. However, as regards the people the Deputy is talking about, I visit many such organisations around the country. There is an enormous demand among young adults with an intellectual disability to get into work. Recently, I attended an event in Castlebellingham concerning the ongoing work in that area, which includes Dundalk, Drogheda, Cavan and Monaghan to help young people with an intellectual disability under the DAP programme. At the moment, however, people on disability allowance refer themselves into community employment. Perhaps that is something we should think about. They are not part of the activation process but it is certainly open to them to self refer and seek to go on community employment if they so wish.

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