Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. I thank the Minister very much. Nobody could doubt her absolute passion for her role and the commitment and drive she has, which she has displayed in this role and previous ministerial roles. She brings them to this role in particular. I am very grateful she and her Department are so open to us when we bring instances and discuss situations with her. I appreciate that very much and it is not just because we are party colleagues. Across the Houses, people find her Department incredibly accessible with respect to issues and assistance, where they are required. We are in an unprecedented time when we have people coming into the country fleeing war, which is horrific. I congratulate the Minister on the work done in the past couple of weeks. She was at the forefront and her Department was one of the first to ensure supports.

We have had harrowing meetings at this committee, and none more so than when we had women with disabilities come in and talk about their experiences. We recognise persons with disabilities are much more likely to be caught in poverty and that they have a lower likelihood of accessing the workplace. As a country, our statistics on the latter are appallingly low. We have also heard of the dependence people with disabilities, especially women with disabilities, have at times, including having to stay in relationships for financial reasons, even where those relationships are abusive. We have heard from the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, about housing and accessibility in those terms and I am confident we are moving in the right direction. However, it is very difficult for those who are caught in the financial implications of disability and the lack of opportunity.

I wish to discuss the payment rate of the disability allowance itself. People are paid €208 per week. Recently, we saw in the report commissioned by her predecessor at the Department that the cost of disability is €226 per week. Thus, the disability allowance does not even meet the cost of disability and it is also well below the minimum wage. We have people with acknowledged disabilities who cannot, in some instances, get out to work, yet they do not even obtain the minimum wage from the State. I would value hearing from the Minister about that. That, in and of itself, is one aspect.

There is the means-testing element. We have heard just how difficult that is. We had wonderful contributors to this committee, including women who have opportunities in the arts. We had one contributor who sang her contribution. She was a powerful and very talented woman. However, they talked about being afraid to take commissions because of the means-testing element and affecting their disability allowance. As I said, in some instances this element obliges people to stay in abusive relationships. There is also the fact that for certain allowances someone with a disability that is very clearly a lifelong one must prove that disability annually. That is demeaning because disabilities do not get fixed. There is a medical model somewhere at the back of that means testing that is objectionable to people who must comply and whose lives are ruled by it.

I implore us to review that and to free up the lives of both women, in particular, and men with disabilities who find that very difficult. They are disincentivised to take work because of the implications of the means test and the requirement to reapply every year.

I thank the Minister for her very detailed contribution regarding the applications and appeals. Figures have previously been presented to the committee that suggest 63.6% of refusals are overturned on appeal. Is there anything we can do to make that better?