Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the officials for attending and for their presentation. I also welcome the group from Dundalk who will make the case later for social insurance for the self-employed, although I regret I may not be able to stay for the presentation because Wednesday mornings are awkward for us.

How many people aged between 16 and 65 are registered as disabled? What percentage is in employment? A study in 2004 stated the number registered was 298,300 of whom only 37% were in employment with only a quarter of them employed on a part-time basis. What progress, if any, has been made in integrating the disabled into the workforce? I refer to the change from the previous system to partial capacity benefit. I acknowledge the scheme is in its infancy but Ms Kennedy stated 700 claims have been awarded. How many claims have been turned down? How many are pending? What is the estimated cost of the scheme in comparison to what it replaced? What budget has been provided for the disability activation project? Ms Kennedy said 916 people were successful in accessing the wage subsidy scheme in 2011. How many applied? Is a specific budget provided for the scheme or is it demand-led? What is the budget for disability awareness supports such as the employee retention grant, work equipment and adaptation grants, etc? How many people were helped under this scheme over the most recent measurable period?

Ms Kennedy said that for the contributory State pension to be self-financing, the self-employed would be required to pay 15%. Is that correct?