John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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670. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent on the ability programme since its introduction; the number of young persons that have engaged with the programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50435/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Ability is a new pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities aged between 15 and 29 years of age. The aim of the programme is to promote employment prospects and meaningful social roles for young people with disabilities and in particular, young people who are distant from the labour market, through engagement in training and personal development activities, which would be followed by an incremental exposure to work.

Pobal have been contracted by DEASP to manage the programme and it is being delivered by 27 community and voluntary groups from around the country. The projects being funded have been designed to assist young people in their transition from school to further education and employment. This will be undertaken using person-centred, case management approaches that support participants to achieve their desired employment goals.

The funding for this programme amounts to around €16 million over a three year period and is being provided jointly under the EUs ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) Operational Programme, 2014-2020 (PEIL, 2014–20) and the Irish Exchequer. €4,499,259 has been spent to date. This includes a service fee to Pobal for the development of the programme including IT development from the initial call for applications in late 2017 and for the on-going management of the Programme. It also includes the initial drawdown of funding by the 27 successful organisations in order for them to carry out the work.

It is expected that the programme will support over 2,600 young people with disabilities aged between 15 and 29 years of age over the course of the programme. The projects have only recently commenced delivering their services and recruitment of participants on the Ability programme is now underway. The Department will have accurate figures on the number of young people who have engaged with the programme in late December when the projects have submitted their progress reports to Pobal on the work to date.

I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.