Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline, in tabular form, the number of employers who availed of the employee retention grant for each of the years 2007 to 2012; her plans to increase awareness of this grant among employers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13285/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Employee Retention Grant Scheme is one of four employment support schemes included in the DSP Reasonable Accommodation Fund which were administered by FÁS until December 2011, and subsequently by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) since January 2012, namely: - Work Equipment Adaptation Grant - Job Interview Grant

- Personal Reader Grant

- Employee Retention Grant

FÁS did not collate details of numbers of individual applications in these grants, but instead records actual expenditure only against budget for each year. The actual expenditures on Employee Retention Grant Scheme are as follows:

Year Actual Expenditure

The Reasonable Accommodation Fund is demand-led in that expenditure on same is in response to applications received.

In order to increase awareness of employers of these demand led employment supports, DSP commenced a series of Employer Awareness Evenings nationally through the Supported Employment Service (EmployAbility Service) in September 2011 which are still on-going. To date, events have been held in Cork, Dublin, Tralee, Kilkenny, Waterford, Monaghan, Enniscorthy, Carlow, Kildare, Castlebar, Tullamore and Ennis. In addition, the regional management responsibility for the Employee Retention Grant Scheme, along with the Disability Awareness Support Scheme is currently under review by the DSP as both had formerly been administered by the Services to Business Division of FÁS.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of employers who have availed of the disability awareness training grant for each of the years 2007 to 2012; her plans to increase awareness of this grant among employers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13286/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Disability Awareness Support Scheme (DASS) was administered by FÁS until December 2011. It was originally titled the Disability Awareness Training Scheme (DATS) but it was renamed in 2011 by FÁS on the withdrawal of the FÁS/Enterprise Ireland National Register of Trainers. It is administered by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) since January 2012.

FÁS did not collate details of numbers of individual applications for this scheme, but instead records actual expenditure only against budget for each year. The actual expenditure on the Disability Awareness Support Scheme is as follows:

Year Actual Expenditure

The Disability Awareness Support Scheme is demand-led in that expenditure on same is in response to applications received.

In order to increase awareness of employers of these demand led employment supports, DSP commenced a series of Employer Awareness Evenings nationally through the Supported Employment Service (EmployAbility Service) in September 2011 which are still on-going. To date, events have been held in Cork, Dublin, Tralee, Kilkenny, Waterford, Monaghan, Enniscorthy, Carlow, Kildare, Castlebar, Tullamore and Ennis. In addition, the regional management responsibility for the Employee Retention Grant Scheme, along with the Disability Awareness Support Scheme is currently under review by the DSP as both had formerly been administered by the Services to Business Division of FÁS.