Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding employment options for a person with a mild intellectual disability; and the details relating to same on the north side of Dublin. [4801/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Under the aegis of the Department, and consistent with best practice, FÁS services are mainstreamed. This means that the objective is the systematic integration of disabled people into the open labour market by actively creating conditions whereby disabled people can compete and operate in the labour on an equitable basis with their non-disabled peers.

The most appropriate method to explore these employment options would be through the FÁS supported employment programme. This programme facilitates the integration of disabled people into paid employment in the open labour market by providing support to assist them in the integration process, and to meet the labour market requirements of employers. The key objectives of the programme are carried out by a job coach. The job coach facilitates the integration of employees with a disability into the workplace. The job coach is employed by a sponsor organisation which runs a supported employment programme on behalf of FÁS.

Prospective candidates for supported employment on the north side of Dublin should first register with his-her local FÁS employment service office in either Finglas, Coolock, Baldoyle, Swords, Balbriggan or D'Olier St, as appropriate, and discuss options with a FÁS employment services officer. The current FÁS supported employment sponsor on the north side of Dublin is: Work 4u Ltd, Unit 1-3, Ballymun Enterprise Centre, Ballymun Industrial Estate, Dublin 11.

Under mainstreaming, supported employment is but one of a range of schemes and grants provided by FÁS to assist people with disabilities and to promote their employment prospects in the open labour market. Others include: the employee retention grant; the disability awareness training support scheme; the employment support scheme, ESS; the personal reader grant; the job interview interpreter grant, JIIG; the work equipment-adaptation grant, WEAG; and wage subsidy scheme, WSS.