John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The review is very welcome, because those figures are quite low. I thought there might have been greater uptake of the scheme by companies. There is great capacity in the scheme to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities and enhance the workplace by increasing diversity and making it more accessible. I welcome the review and the fact it has suggested changes that, hopefully, will increase awareness of the scheme and bring in new companies that might be inclined to enter the scheme and hire people with disabilities.

I will also mention the employability projects throughout the country. There is a very active one in Galway, which works with a lot of different companies making sure they are aware that they can avail of the scheme and helping people with disabilities to find employment. I welcome the review. I note there has been no increase in the level of subsidy available to companies since January 2022. I ask for that to be looked at in light of budgets 2025 and 2026.

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