Mr. Michael Meere:

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for all her kind words. I am passionate about this because I have had a disability since 2007. Initially, I was put on disability allowance and then I had to fight to get the invalidity pension. When I got the invalidity pension, I re-entered college. After that, I was greatly supported through college with all the accommodations and supports which I mentioned. Within the National Learning Network, NLN, which I am in now, I am greatly supported too. However, when I went to re-enter the workforce, I was reassessed for partial capacity. That is either assessed at mild, moderate, severe or profound. One is assessed at whichever level and re-enters the workforce for three years, then gets secondary benefits, which is fantastic. However, after the three years, one is then reassessed, which straightaway brings about anxiousness. People get worried and frustrated at the whole system because, as Ms Bird just said, without the presence of a passport for disability, people have to go through all the channels again, meet all the consultants again and meet all the doctors again. People could be waiting for two months to get an appointment with a consultant. This puts people through further stress. They are already anxious because of their conditions but this compounds it.

It is all fine and well for people to work for three years, have secondary benefits, and then be reassessed. If people are in the workforce with an employer and everything is going okay, the probability is quite high that they will lose their secondary benefits and 75% of their invalidity pension. This then leads them to live life with a wage which is probably minimum wage. On top of that are the figures Ms Bird just mentioned, of €9,500 and €11,700 in household expenditure every year on top of just getting a minimum wage. It is just not good enough and it is really hard to survive. As Deputy Murnane O'Connor mentioned, with the current cost-of-living crisis, costs are through the roof. Nothing is moving. We are still getting what we get. We get the likes of the €200 benefit but that is spent when we go to do our weekly shopping.

Everybody receiving disability allowance was granted €500. As I said earlier, I am a student at the National Learning Network. There were many people in my centre who were informed that morning that they were not getting their €500 because they were on training allowances. We had to do a massive push to email and lobby Deputies. In the afternoon, it was changed. Some of the parents and some of my fellow student colleagues and friends were affected. Deputy Murnane O'Connor explained about rehab in Carlow a while ago. There is a sense of community within that. We were all shocked and frightened. Whether you believe it or not, €500 is a lot of money to us. Even our weekly allowance does not spread across everything. Outside of everyday life, we have expenditures such as extra medical costs since we have to go to consultants. One consultant appointment costs €250 or more and it might only take two minutes. It is quite hard.