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	T&aacute;naiste rejects Gerry Adams&rsquo;s criticism over 14 programmes that have lost public funding</p>
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	T&aacute;naiste Frances Fitzgerald has rejected Sinn F&eacute;in claims the Government is &ldquo;batting back and forth&rdquo; on funding for a work scheme for people with disabilities when it could make an immediate decision to provide &ldquo;stop gap&rdquo; money and prevent its closure.</p>
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	Sinn F&eacute;in leader Gerry Adams said 119 people were availing of a programme in Co Louth which helped them to plot out their own future, and most were now in further education or working.</p>
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	The work peer scheme forged vital links in the community and was one of 14 disability activation schemes funded by the EU and the Government but their funding was withdrawn.</p>
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	The Co Louth scheme remained open because of funding from Ulster Bank but this was now coming to an end and the scheme would close very soon without intervention.</p>
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	He said &ldquo;it makes no sense that any group should have to shut its doors because of a failure of the Government&rdquo;. The funding was &euro;350,000 and it should be urgently provided to give vital support, he said.</p>
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	Equality</p>
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	The Louth TD highlighted the commitment in the programme for government to provide equality of opportunity for those with disabilities. But he said no funding had been ring-fenced for this and about 600,000 people in Ireland lived with disability.</p>
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	Ms Fitzgerald insisted however the Government and Minister of State for Disabilities Finian McGrath intended to &ldquo;get a solution so that people will not be left without this project&rdquo;.</p>
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	Rejecting claims that the issue was being &ldquo;batted back and forth&rdquo; rather than decided on, Ms Fitzgerald pointed out that the Government had committed &euro;31 million to helping those with disabilities.</p>
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	She said 14 disability activation projects were funded until April 2015 and private funding had been found since then but was coming to an end.</p>
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	She said the implementation group for employment strategy was working for a solution on how mainstream funding could be provided for the schemes.</p>
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	Ms Fitzgerald added that there was longer-term work to be done about developing more mainstream work for people with disabilities.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Times on the 29th June 2016)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/state-dallying-on-funding-for-in-danger-disability-schemes-1.2704085">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/state-dallying-on-funding-for-in-danger-disability-schemes-1.2704085</a></p>
