Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on the progress of the 14 disability activation projects in operation in the BMW region; if she would confirm the locations of the projects; and if there are plans to extend this initiative in view of the benefits which accrue in helping persons with a disability back into the workforce. [11612/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The projects to which the deputy refers constitute the Disability Activation (DACT) project which is co-funded by my Department and the European Social Fund, at a cost of over €7 million to April 2015. The projects are in their initial stages of development at present and given that they will run until April, 2015, it is too early to report on their progress. However, I am confident that the fourteen projects involved will provide practical insights into how best to engage with people with disabilities and with employers in order to enhance the employment prospects of people with disabilities, and feed into policy considerations in this area.

For information, the four themes of the Disability Activation project are:

- Strand 1 - improving access to employment;

- Strand 2 - progression for young people with disabilities

- Strand 3 -progression for people with an acquired disability

- Strand 4 -innovative engagement with employers

Four of the selected projects are broad-based and will have an impact across the entire BMW region. The other ten projects are centred in counties Galway, Sligo, Roscommon (2), Cavan/Monaghan, Monaghan/Cavan/Louth, Louth, Galway/ Mayo/ Roscommon, Donegal, and Laois/Offaly/ Westmeath respectively.