Mr. R?n?n Hession:

I thank the Chair and the committee for the invitation to attend here today. I am the assistant secretary general of the Department of Social Protection with responsibility for working age income supports. As the Chair said, I am joined by my colleagues, Ms Geraldine Hurley, assistant secretary general with responsibility for employment services, and Ms Annette Conroy, principal officer with responsibility for employment services policy.

At the outset I would like to acknowledge the need for sensitivity with regard to terminology. As the committee’s own report on the summer programme explains, the preferred terminology is that of autism spectrum condition, ASC. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge that the committee’s report explains that some people with ASC prefer to be referred to as autistic persons, while others prefer to be described as persons with autism. In light of the variety of views on the subject, in our contributions today we will be guided by the approach taken by the committee and will endeavour to be inclusive in the use of both terms.

The main supports provided by our Department are in the form of income supports and employment services. In pre-budget submissions from autism representative groups regarding income supports, the main focus has been on disability and caring payments, and so I will focus on these primarily. However, we are happy to discuss a wider range of payments if that is of interest to the committee, given that autistic people will undoubtedly be customers across all payment types, whether as jobseekers, lone parents, pensioners or under other schemes, and perhaps also as employers.

I should explain that our Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to a disability. These supports are not contingent on the nature of the disability but on the extent to which it impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. Disability-related income schemes have been designed to support people with disabilities to enter or return to employment or self-employment. Disability allowance is structured to support recipients to avail of opportunities to pursue their employment ambitions, be that self-employment or insurable employment. When an individual commences employment, they can avail of an income disregard of €165 per week, and 50% of earnings between €165 and €375 per week are disregarded in the means test.

The partial capacity benefit scheme allows a person who has been in receipt of an invalidity pension to enter or return to employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment. The back to work enterprise allowance has been designed to support customers, including those with disabilities, to become self-employed. Customers retain a percentage of their income support payment for up to two years.

In addition to income supports, the Department provides a wide range of services and supports to assist jobseekers, including those with a disability, to find work. We also provide recruitment and retention incentives for employers. The Department provides a case-managed employment service to jobseekers, including those with disabilities, who seek support from their local Intreo centre. The jobseeker works with a case officer with a view to agreeing a suitable personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment supports available. Intreo also delivers a recruitment and job matching service for employers, via events, in-person engagement and online, through JobsIreland.ie.

The community employment scheme and the work placement experience programme also provide valuable stepping stones into sustainable employment. Our Department contracts the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability, AHEAD, to deliver the Willing Able Mentoring and Get Ahead programmes on its behalf. These programmes provide paid work experience and other supports for graduates with disabilities seeking to enter or re-enter employment.

The Department recognises the additional challenges that some jobseekers with disabilities may experience in securing and maintaining employment, and contracts for the provision of specialist employment services, through EmployAbility, to help address this. A jobseeker with a disability who is working with their Intreo case officer may be referred to these specialist service providers if it is agreed that it would be of benefit to them. Jobseekers work with a job coach who provides both pre-employment and in-employment support and assistance. There are currently more than 2,800 people engaging with the EmployAbility service.

As part of our commitments under the Pathways to Work strategy and the comprehensive employment strategy, the Department has commenced an early engagement approach whereby the Intreo service proactively engages with disabled people at the earliest opportunity, to offer support and assistance – on a voluntary basis – to help them enter or return to employment. The process is initially focusing on those aged 18 to 22 who are in receipt of disability allowance, before being expanded to other age groups and schemes. By December last year, 5,756 people had received a call from an employment personal adviser. Designated employment personal advisers' details are now available on Gov.ie, and more advisers are being assigned and receiving training. There was a two-week national media campaign promoting early engagement in October.

Our Department also contracts for the provision of Intreo partners, that is, the national and local area employment services. Providers deliver a case-managed employment service for all jobseekers, including those with a disability. In addition, the Department provides a range of services and supports for employers to recruit and retain jobseekers with a disability, including financial incentives under the wage subsidy scheme and reasonable accommodation fund grants. The disability awareness support scheme further provides funding for employers to pay for disability awareness training for staff who work with a disabled colleague.

The Department is in the process of installing autism supportive sensory rooms in a number of locations. The first room, in Limerick, arose from an autism initiative in 2019 by local departmental staff in conjunction with local autism organisations. The intention was to make the journey for our customers and their dependents more amenable to their place on the spectrum. It was a bottom-up idea and reflects the culture and values of engaged and innovative staff. It was driven by a committed group on the ground. As part of a rolling programme of maintenance in Intreo centres, rooms will be provided in every Intreo centre where this is feasible.

The Government also acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the programme for Government and the national carers’ strategy. The main income supports to carers provided by the Department are carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. As part of budget 2022, significant improvements were introduced to the means test for carer's allowance. These were the first changes to the means test in 14 years. The current carer's allowance disregards are the highest income disregards in the social welfare system. In addition to carer's allowance, the Department also provides a non-means tested payment to carers in the form of carer's benefit. Furthermore, the carer's support grant, which has been increased to its highest ever rate of €1,850, is also available to carers who are not on a social welfare payment. For those providing ongoing care and attention for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, domiciliary care allowance is available and is not means tested.

The Indecon cost of disability report was prepared following an extensive consultation with disabled people and disability stakeholders. This included one of the largest disability surveys ever undertaken in the State. It was published in December 2021. The report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure, including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines and additional living expenses. The report found that there is not a single typical cost of disability. Rather, there is a spectrum from low to high additional costs of disability, depending on individual circumstances. For this reason, a whole-of-government approach is required to address the cost of disability.

Responses to the report were considered regularly by the national disability inclusion strategy steering group as part of its work. This group was chaired by the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Anne Rabbitte. The group included relevant Departments, agencies, and a disability stakeholder group. The work of the steering group was due to end in 2021 but was extended to the end of 2022. A new national cross-government strategy to succeed the national disability inclusion strategy is currently being developed by all Government Departments and agencies. This important work is being led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The strategy is intended to satisfy the programme for Government commitment to develop a co-ordinated plan to advance the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. The cost of disability report is an important element of the evidence base that will inform the scope and focus of the strategy.

As part of budget 2023, the Government introduced significant supports for people with disabilities to help address the cost of living and the cost of disability, including a cost-of-living double payment paid to people getting disability allowance, invalidity pension, blind pension, disablement benefit and partial capacity benefit. A €500 cost-of-living lump sum disability support grant is paid to people getting a long-term disability allowance, invalidity pension and blind pension. Supports also include a €200 cost-of-living lump sum payment for people getting a disability payment and who receive the living alone allowance, a €400 cost-of-living lump sum fuel allowance payment, and a Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment. Domiciliary care allowance was increased by €20.50 to €330 per month from January 2023. There is an increase of €12 in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and for people getting a reduced rate. Disablement benefit will now be disregarded in the means assessment for fuel allowance. There is a €1 million expansion of the reasonable accommodation fund to support people with disabilities in the workplace. The earnings disregard for disability allowance and blind pension increased from €140 to €165 from January. The means assessment threshold for fuel allowance increased from €120 to €200 from January.

The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020–2025 includes a commitment to develop and consult on a straw man proposal for the restructuring of long-term disability payments. The cost of disability report is also feeding into the preparation of the straw man reform proposals. Work on the straw man is at an advanced stage, and the intention is to publish it later in the first quarter of this year. We intend to carry out a wider consultation process with all stakeholders and advocacy groups following publication.

Finally, I know that the issue of workplace adaptation grants and assistive technology has arisen in the course of the committee’s deliberations. We have recently undertaken a comprehensive review of the reasonable accommodation fund after an extensive consultation process with stakeholders. Work on the review is at an advanced stage and we are aiming to finalise it during the first quarter of this year. I hope this overview is of assistance to the committee. We are happy to help with any questions that committee members may have.