Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It certainly is the official departmental response. As far as I am concerned, it is bureaucracy and does not make sense at all. This programme clearly works. It shines a light into to the lives of the participants, their families and their community. It has the full support of the schools, employers and everybody concerned. Why is it that something that is successful and that is wanted by everyone involved is hammered by the bureaucracy?

I want the Minister of State to meet the group. It is crucial that he do so. It is crucial that we uphold success and support the people succeeding in this area. According to the very words of the Minister of State, the programme is a success. When the Government funding stopped, funding was obtained from a private sector source to keep the programme going. It is a success and we should be replicating and supporting programmes that actually work.

I understand the actual cost per participant to the wonderful Department is approximately €5,000. There is another Minister present, Deputy Francis Fitzgerald, who spends - properly so - approximately €250,000 per individual on children who are in trouble with the law and in care. They need it. In the case of the programme I am raising, a paltry sum of €5,000 per individual is not being spent. Why is it that when a programme works, we say "No"? Why is the bureaucracy getting away with it? Why did the Department give the Minister of State that gobbledygook of an answer to give today? It is insulting to the participants and their families. I have never met a group more committed, dedicated and articulate and with more support on an issue. I ask the Minister of State to respond to and meet that group and sit down with officials from the Department. He is the person in charge; he is the Minister of State. The bureaucracy must do what it is told but it must always replicate and support success. That is absolutely critical in this day and age as part of our comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. Either it means nothing or it means something. The Minister of State is the man to make the difference and I hope his reply will.

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