Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I know she has a long-term commitment to the area of disability,. Many Members of the Seanad have raised different issues relating to disability and I acknowledge the work the Senator and other Members do within this area. They regularly raise very important issues that are similar to this issue and always do so in a very constructive manner.

DACT is jointly funded by the European Social Fund and the Department of Social Protection with an estimated budget of about €7 million. A total of 14 projects are being funded under this programme in the border, midlands and western region and commenced in 2012. The project seeks to explore a variety of routes towards ensuring that people with disabilities are enabled to avail of progression, education and development opportunities in the world of work.

A key criterion applied when selecting projects was that the findings from the projects in terms of what worked successfully should be capable, where appropriate, of being mainstreamed in future. That is very important. The aim is to recognise best practice and to mainstream those elements.
The disability activation programme is organised around four separate strands all with similar eligibility and selection criteria, but each having its own key focus. These strands are as follows: improving access to employment, progression programmes for young people, supporting the progression and retention of people with an acquired disability and innovative employer initiatives. The target group for each strand is people between 16 and 65 years of age in receipt of disability or illness welfare payments who reside in the Border, midlands and west regions. Projects may relate to one of the three main disability types, which are physical and sensory disabilities, intellectual disabilities and mental health difficulties or may have a cross-disability focus. Some 2,700 people with disabilities have participated in these projects between 2013 and early 2015.
ESF funding for the disability activation project is being provided under the human capital investment operational programme 2007-13. This programme recently came to an end and there is no provision in the ESF for co-funding arrangements to continue after April 2015, as I have already pointed out. The Department is arranging an evaluation process of the disability activation project to determine the extent to which it has achieved its aims and objectives. The evaluation process will seek to highlight any learning from the projects and modules undertaken of good practice that could be used to inform policy development and will also identify those aspects of the project which could be maintained so as to develop and, or, sustain its work and achievements.
It was recently clarified to the projects that further ESF funding will not be available and that terms and grant agreements with disability activation projects stipulate that such projects must be completed and delivered by the end of April 2015. It was never envisaged that the disability activation projects would de factobecome delivery of services no matter how successful they were. The disability activation project was not designed to be an open-ended funding stream and an end date was set by which to determine its strength and weaknesses and to identify what aspects might increase the capacity and potential of people on disability and illness welfare payments to participate in the labour market.
We will be carrying out that evaluation programme and tendering as quickly as possible. The project was intended from its commencement to find out what worked and mainstream that and not to develop a whole new area of programme delivery. It has been successful in some areas and new ideas have come forth which need to be evaluated before being worked into the mainstream. I am not sure if the Senator is asking whether people currently on the schemes will be left high and dry. I will endeavour to clarify that matter for the Senator and come back as quickly as possible. It is an issue I raised with the Department when I saw the motion put down by the Senator. When the information is available, I will provide it to her. I thank the Senator again for raising such an important issue.