Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, this programme is not yet in place; therefore, there are no plans to have private contractors involved in it because it. It is being led by a coalition of groups, including the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Arthritis Ireland, the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP. I believe some people, either through misinformation or wanton deliberate misinformation are trying to equate it to a programme with the same name in England, which was involved in assessing people who were in receipt of disability allowance and the extent to which they would be fit to return to work. This is not about that. This is about a proposal that was brought to us by the Fit for Work coalition, comprising Arthritis Ireland, the unions, IBEC and others, as to how we can ensure people do not progress to disability, that they get the early intervention they need when they initially present with back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders so that they can get back to work, get the treatment they need and not progress to becoming disabled. That is what this programme will be about.

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