I join the Tánaiste and the leader of Fianna Fáil in condemning the atrocious bomb attack on Istanbul. I extend solidarity and sympathy to the people of Turkey and to the victims and families of all those killed or injured.

The programme for a partnership Government commits that persons with disabilities should be supported to maximise their potential "by removing barriers which impact on access to services, education, work or healthcare". The comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities was launched on 2 October 2015 and was lauded as a vehicle to deliver equality of opportunity for citizens with disabilities, yet there was no funding ring-fenced for this strategy. Another group, comprising the Department of Social Protection, the National Disability Authority and other Departments, which was set up to examine the benefits and future of disability activation schemes, has met only twice and has yet to announce any plans. I am sure the Tánaiste will agree it is unacceptable. It is particularly unacceptable when one considers 600,000 people in this State live with a disability, more than half of which people are of working age.

In the constituency of Louth there is a unique programme called WALK PEER which enables young people with a disability to plot out their future by accessing opportunities in mainstream education, training and employment within their communities. In total, 119 young people have availed of this programme and have all had a very positive and empowering experience. Forty-nine have progressed to further education and 21 to the workforce. One young woman was recently granted a place at the Drogheda Institute of Further Education. Another young man is being supported in his ambition to become an usher in Leinster House. The scheme has forged vital links between these young citizens and employers, educators and the wider community. Regrettably, it was one of the 14 disability activation schemes jointly funded by the Department of Social Protection and the European Social Fund that had its funding withdrawn last summer. The one in Louth managed to stay open because it got some short-term funding from Ulster Bank. It was hoped that would be a stopgap measure while a comprehensive employment strategy was formulated. It makes no sense that a project like WALK PEER or any disability employment scheme should have to close its door because of the failure of Government to find a small amount of funding. It is only €350,000 that is involved. Given that the interdepartmental working group has still to come forward with a proposition, does the Tánaiste agree that funding should be urgently provided in the meantime to provide vital supports? Given that the Ministers, Deputy Finian McGrath and Deputy Leo Varadkar, are present, perhaps the Tánaiste will agree to this now.

The comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities was launched in 2015 and it was the first proper and extensive national strategy. A very important policy agenda for supporting people with disabilities was outlined in it. The Government committed an extra €31 million to disability issues a number of weeks ago. The most up-to-date position on the WALK PEER programme is that the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, Deputy Finian McGrath, has met the families and individuals. He has discussed the issues with them and is working on a resolution to the issue raised by the Deputy of the ongoing support for the individuals involved in the programme.

I make a more general point, namely, that we have had a number of programmes that were time-limited, and this was one of those programmes that were very important for the individuals who were involved in them. These 14 disability activation projects were meant to finish in April 2015. Private sector funding was found to extend them for another year and that funding has now come to an end. It raises the broader point of the integration of these types of short-term projects into more mainstream funding, and that is precisely what Fergus Finlay's group - he is leading the implementation group for the employment strategy for people with disabilities - is now examining, how mainstream funding can be provided for these types of activation schemes. They will be central to the strategy. As I said with respect to the WALK PEER programme the Deputy raised, the Minister is actively involved in seeking a resolution and finding a way of ensuring the people involved can continue.

I am disappointed with the Tánaiste's answer. When I raised this question directly with the Taoiseach recently, he told me that the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, would meet representatives from WALK PEER. I knew that. The Tánaiste has now told me that he has met them. I knew that also. I spoke directly to the Minister of State, Deputy McGrath, on this issue. I also sent my question in writing to the Tánaiste's office in order that she would not be caught on the hop on this issue. I phoned the Minister of State, Deputy McGrath, this morning to give him notice that I was raising this issue. WALK PEER is going to close its doors in the next very short period.

While the interdepartmental group brings forward its proposition, can some short-term gap-filling be done? The whole project involves €350,000. The three Ministers involved are present in the Chamber. The three of them could take that decision. This matter is being batted back and forth between me and others, including Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, who also raised this issue directly. Why should these young people who have benefited so much from this effort to liberate them and bring them into the workforce and into further education, which is a great sense of pride and relief for their parents, be set to one side? Why not take a decision and allow this to progress?

This is not being batted back and forth. There are proposals under active consideration, as I said to the Deputy, to resolve the situation. The Minister is meeting the families to resolve the issue and come up with a solution. I am not putting it on the floor of the House this morning but the intention is to get a solution and to find a resolution to the matter. The Minister is actively considering that in order that people will not be left without this project or deprived of participation in it. The Minister is actively working on ensuring there is a resolution. As I said, there is longer-term work to be done about developing more mainstream projects because we have had many projects in this country, not only in the area of disability. We have also had, for example, Atlantic Philanthropies which funded many different projects throughout the country. How we transfer those into mainstream funding is an issue that is under active consideration not only in the disability area but also with respect to projects around early childhood intervention. There is active work going on and a resolution is being sought.