Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. The focus of my Department has to be, and has always been, to provide an income support - a basic income - to help people when they need it. That is the number one focus of this Department. It is not a service support. Services come from other Departments. I know the point that the Senator is making, but a change to individualisation would be a fundamental change to the social welfare system. We should bear in mind that individualisation would have winners and losers. I remember somebody once said to me, "If I solved that problem, I would create about ten more." I think he was a Minister for Health at the time.

I take the Senator's point that we could change things. Where we see opportunities to change things, we will change them. If we can do so without causing unintended consequences across other areas, we will certainly do that. That is why we continue to review all of our different supports right across the board. We take on and listen to the views. We are at this committee today to hear everybody’s views. I am answering questions. We take on board the views that the committee is giving to us today. We include those views as part of our consideration when we are looking at different schemes and looking at how we can make them better.

On the individualisation of reasonable accommodation grants, and particularly assistive technology, we are doing a review of that scheme at the minute. First, it is underused. It is actually quite a good grant. A maximum grant of €6,350 is available towards the cost of adaptation to premises or equipment. Applications in excess of this sum are considered on an individual basis, up to a maximum of €9,523, if specialist training for assistive technology is required.

The Senator made a point about the local authorities. We would like to think that the public service would lead and that we would not have to be giving it money to do these things. In fairness to the local authorities, they are getting a good deal of support across all the different Departments to deliver on behalf of the Government. In the Department of Rural and Community Development, for instance, there has been a massive multi-million euro investment into local authorities. I think they should be looking at this themselves, to be quite honest with the Senator. They have unprecedented investment to provide housing through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and indeed across other Departments as well. I take the Senator's point, but they have to prioritise as well. That is what they have to do. I do not want one part of government to be subsidising another part of government for something it should be doing in the first place. It is clear, as part of Government policy, that we want to see people who have disabilities being assisted to come into the workplace.

The Senator mentioned the free travel scheme, which is to ensure that older people and people with disabilities remain active in their community. She raised the issue of people with epilepsy. I have looked at that and am considering it. Epilepsy is one illness, but I am sure there are other illnesses, where people with the condition can only drive for a limited time. Where does one stop? People who are blind are eligible for free travel. People who are blind are blind and that is it. For people who have a condition from which they can recover and, with the right medication, improve their situation, it starts to get more difficult. Resources are finite. We do not have an unlimited pot, despite what some people may think. For this reason, we have to target where we believe resources are most needed. I am looking at the issue of people with epilepsy. It was raised with me by a Deputy in the Dáil and I said I would look at it. I met the organisation that represents people with epilepsy. The matter is ongoing. I will leave it at that. I thank the Senator.