Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1071. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of providing the WALK providing equal employment routes, PEER, employment support service model in all 26 counties for people with disabilities. [28839/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

WALK PEER was funded by my Department under the former Ability Programme.  The Ability Programme, introduced in June 2018, was a three-year pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities.  The total funding for the programme amounted to approximately €16 million and was provided jointly under the European Union’s ESF 2014-2020 Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning Operational Programme and the Irish Exchequer.  The Ability Programme concluded at the end of August 2021.

Total Ability funding of €640,848 was awarded to WALK PEER over the course of the 3-year programme.  If the WALK PEER project was to be replicated on the same scale to an additional 25 counties, based on a simplistic calculation, this would require additional funding in excess of €5m per year.

This figure is based on previous levels of funding to WALK PEER.  It does not include set up costs and nor does it factor in a county-by-county analysis i.e. an analysis, for example, of existing service provision by county, demand factors etc.  This figure also does not include monitoring and oversight of a national programme.  These costs would not be insignificant. 

On 30 July last year I announced a new employment support measure for people with disabilities under Dormant Accounts Funding (DAF).  The DAF Measures to Support the Employment of People with Disabilities programme began in September 2021 and runs up to the end of December 2022.  In total, 45 projects were selected on foot of a competitive process and have been funded up to an amount of €7.6 million.  The WALK PEER organisation was awarded funding up to €200,000 and is funded as a standalone project under this DAF measure and not as a programme in its own right. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.