Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have read Sinn Féin's proposals on employment opportunities for people with disabilities. I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to removing barriers which prevent people with disabilities from availing of employment opportunities. My Department provides a wide range of work related supports which will cost an estimated €37 million in 2015.

While any person with a disability is at all times free to avail of the Intreo service on a voluntary basis, a complete range of activation supports is being provided initially in ten locations and it is planned to expand the number of locations over time, based on operational experience. I commenced this initiative some time ago in ten locations around the country. The Department’s employment supports for people with disabilities focus on those who wish to take up work in the open labour market and have the capacity to do so. This is done in accordance with the individual who has the disability. The principal supports include the wage subsidy scheme and the employ ability service. An independent review of the latter is currently under way, with a view to ensuring that the service is operating effectively. Procedures are already in place to reinstate social welfare payments for those who are no longer able to work. Participants on the partial capacity benefit scheme, which I introduced a number of years ago, can return to illness benefit or invalidity pension if they find that they cannot continue to work. For example, a person who has multiple sclerosis and is in receipt the partial capacity benefit will still qualify for his or her original payment if he or she is unable to work. If he or she subsequently goes into remission, he or she can return to the partial capacity benefit. We are anxious to facilitate increasing participation in employment for people with disabilities.

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