Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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322. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide funding in Budget 2023 for the Ability Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47033/22]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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323. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the 27 companies countrywide that are running the Ability Programme will be informed whether they are going to receive funding for 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47034/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 322 and 323 together.

The Ability Programme, introduced in June 2018, was a three-year pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities, managed by my department, which concluded at the end of August 2021. The funding for the programme amounted to around €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. In line with commitments under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy, the Final Evaluation of the Ability Programme was published at its conclusion.

Last year, I put a plan in place to allow for the transition of the remaining Ability providers and participants to new arrangements and this was agreed with the Ability Providers Subgroup following a meeting with this group. This included a two-month extension to the 26 organisations still operating under the programme at that time.

The current Dormant Accounts Fund Measure to Support the Employment of People with Disabilities was a new employment support measure for people with disabilities. On 30 July last year I announced that 45 projects had been funded up to an amount of €7.6 million. This programme began in September and runs up to the end of 2022. All 27 organisations who received funding under the former Ability Programme were successful in securing funding under this new measure, including the organisation referred to by the Deputy.

It was agreed that a new employment programme for people with disabilities would be included in the new Operational Programme for Ireland under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) 2021-2027. This new disability focused employment measure will build on the learnings of the former Ability Programme. The new programme will also need to add complementarity to the suite of existing employment supports targeted at people with disabilities provided by my department and broader national strategies for employment of people with disabilities, including the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.

The ESF Managing Authority in Ireland - based in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science - has compiled the Operational Programme for Ireland which has been approved by Government. The Operational Programme has been formally submitted to the European Commission. It is expected that Commission approval will be communicated in the latter part of the year.

Once approval is in place, it is anticipated that the new disability programme will be open by way of a competitive process in 2023 to applications from organisations across the country, including the 27 former Ability Programme organisations referred to by the Deputy.

I can assure the Deputy that my commitment in relation to providing funding supports to improve the employment possibilities of people with disabilities has not been found wanting to date and that the organisation’s concern raised by the Deputy is acknowledged and noted. However, the Deputy will understand that commitments regarding the allocation of public expenditure are subject to the overall budgetary context and must be considered accordingly.

I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy at this time.