Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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57. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the funding of programmes under the disability activation project, which is due to cease shortly; the options she is considering for the continuation of funding for programmes such as this, particularly in view of the soon to be published comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities; if she will consider a proposal (details supplied) from a funded organisation, which has helped many persons with disabilities into mainstream education and employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15992/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Disability Activation Project is (DACT) is jointly funded (more than €7 million) by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Department, and a total of 14 projects (including WALK PEER) are being funded under this programme in the Border, Midlands & West region. The projects commenced at the end of 2012 and will end on 30 April 2015 (the ESF portion of the funding that was provided under the Human Capital Investment Operational Programme 2007- 2013 will terminate at the end of April.)

I very much welcomed and supported the setting up of these projects as they set out to explore a variety of routes towards ensuring that people with disabilities are enabled to avail of progression, education and development opportunities within the world of work - to help inform future policy on activation/engagement measures for people with disabilities. When the projects were set up, the Department gave a commitment that it would carry out an independent evaluation of the projects to assess the outcomes achieved and to identify “best practice” in terms of the methodologies and processes used that could, where appropriate, be “mainstreamed” and delivered by existing services.

However, I must clarify that the basis on which the projects were awarded funding was that they would terminate at the end of April 2015 - there was never any question that the projects could turn into ongoing service delivery operation in their own right.

The independent evaluation referenced above – which is being undertaken on behalf of the Department by Indecon International Consultants – is underway and, pending its completion, there is no objective basis for identifying how successful any project was and what practices/processes from the projects worked best and so might could be considered for incorporating into existing service delivery structures.

When the evaluation is completed at the end of June, the Department will set up and chair a working group, comprising the relevant Departments with responsibilities under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy, to consider the findings.

I am conscious that there will still be people participating in the WALK PEER project (and a number of others) at the end of April so I have decided that funding for these projects will be made available from the Department for a short period beyond April i.e. to end-July 2015, to facilitate those projects in ensuring that participants finish their involvement in an orderly manner.