Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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345. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons with disabilities currently availing of the training support grant that was introduced in 2020; and the breakdown of groups of disabled persons that are applying for the grant. [32535/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Training Support Grant (TSG), available through my Department, can be used for the purchase of training (where this cannot be provided by a state provider within a reasonable time) or for certain other expenditures such as purchase of tools or travel costs to job interviews. The TSG can be made available to jobseekers who have registered with the Employment Service and undertaken a guidance process leading to an agreed career plan, and who are in receipt of certain specified welfare payments, primarily jobseekers’ and lone parent payments as well as payments related to disability and long-term illness.

As part of the July Stimulus the funding available through this grant was doubled from €500 to €1,000. There is a provision of €11.3m for this support in 2021 to assist with the training needs of up to 12,000 individuals.

The grant assisted approximately 3,000 jobseekers with short-term training needs in 2020. Statistics are not maintained on the number of individuals with disabilities assisted under this grant.

Also announced in Budget 2020 was the extension of the facility of the Training Support Grant through Employability Service contractors. The administrative measures to support this extension are being put in place and it is expected to be operational shortly.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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346. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the total amount of funding allocated for the training support grant; the courses or training opportunities for which the grant has been used; and her plans to increase the amount of the training support grant in Budget 2022. [32537/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Training Support Grant, available through my Department, is designed to support quick access to short-term training where the training is not delivered by a State provider. The grant can be provided where an immediate skills gap is identified that represents an obstacle to taking up a job offer or accessing other opportunities. The grant can be used for training up to level 6 on the QQI or training such as safe pass, driving licences, HACCP or security industry permits as appropriate.

There is a provision of €11.3m for this support for 2021 to help with the training needs of up to 12,000 individuals. As part of the July Stimulus the funding available through this grant was doubled from €500 to €1,000. This ensures that greater funding is available for individual jobseekers to assist with their short term training costs.

Any further changes to the provision for this grant would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.