Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

254. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding disability services in County Louth, including the funding available to a programme (details supplied). [28443/16]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Providing Equal Employment Routes (PEER) project was one of 14 disability activation projects (DACT), in the Border, Midlands and West region, which were jointly funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Department of Social Protection (DSP), from the end of 2012 to April 2015. The project was delivered by the Walkinstown Association for People with an Intellectual Disability (WALK).

After the ending of ESF funding, as provided for in EU regulations, my Department understands that the WALK PEER project obtained additional funding from other sources. As this additional funding terminated in July 2016, and following representations from WALK regarding funding difficulties relating to the PEER project, I decided to provide some short term funding to this project to enable it to continue service provision until early next year.

Arising from the learning derived from the DACT projects, it is evident that there is a need for a continuum of services that provides people with disabilities with the appropriate supports to obtain employment and stay in work. Consequently, there is also a need to enhance collaboration between service providers to ensure supports are delivered in a co-ordinated and structured manner. To this end, a working group chaired by the NDA and comprising of the Departments of Education and Skills, Health and Social Protection, together with the HSE was established to develop an effective co-ordinated policy approach and interdepartmental protocols to assist individuals with disabilities, including those who require a high level of support, to obtain and retain employment. This working group is due to report by the end of the year with an implementation plan in this regard. The provision of services at a national level, will be determined with reference to this implementation plan.