Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I acknowledge the work of SAOL, and people are happy to engage with that organisation. There are a couple of issues, and I would like to address each of them. On comprehensive employment and the need to do more for people with disability to access the workforce, I acknowledge that it was a former colleague of the Deputy's, Fergus Finlay, and others who set up the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities. It is quite inspiring what they have done, because it is not just access to education but crucially access to employment after. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that from September, that model or a similar one, will be rolled out to approximately one dozen more higher education complexes and institutions across the country. I think that link between education and employment opportunities is important, and we can learn much from the Trinity centre. There is also a funding allocation for that.

I am not happy with where we are on assessment of needs and neither are the Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Naughton. That is why we announced an additional €12 million last week to try to address the backlog in families waiting for an assessment of need. Many families are waiting far too long. I again acknowledge the Deputy's constructive role in the Labour Party in this area. I am pleased that, in the short term, private capacity will be used to try to help address some of that backlog. I think that may have arisen from a motion tabled by the Deputy.

A recruitment campaign is now under way for the children's disability network teams. From memory, about 161 people have been offered jobs in those teams as result of that recruitment campaign, and phase 2 of the campaign is due to commence later this year.

In respect of the special education teaching hours, the Deputy is right. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, has reminded me that, as a result of a review, about 1,000 additional hours will be announced in the coming days. There are learnings regarding this model and the lack of consultation and engagement, which the Department should reflect on. I am pleased the review is showing that some of the concerns that had been highlighted are now being addressed. The Minister of State is working intensively with the Minister for Education to ensure every child with a disability will have access to an appropriate school place this September. We are also working to put on a permanent basis the 39 therapy posts the National Council for Special Education now has sanction for.

As for a new comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities, that will be considered as part of the new national disability strategy. There is due to be a very significant engagement with stakeholders on that later this week, I think on Friday, and I have now decided to personally chair a Cabinet committee on disability. It has met twice in my seven weeks in office and will continue to meet monthly, to try to break down silos and bring people together.

I could quote statistics for extra investment and so on but that would kind of miss the point. I accept there are still very many challenges in the delivery of services here and I hope some of these measures will provide some hope to people and some positive momentum.

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