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

I had a good discussion just a couple of hours ago with the Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, and its member organisations at a strategic general meeting. I was speaking to Mr. John Dolan from DFI. There was positive feedback on the €500 disability support grant. There was recognition that we pushed the door ajar within the system by introducing that payment. We need to keep pushing that door open. My Department is working on reform of disability payments. I intend to publish the straw man proposal on these reforms shortly for consultation with the sector and get the views of the advocacy groups. The cost of disability report recommended payments on a tiered basis, for example. There are mild, moderate or profound levels of disability and, therefore, a flat rate is not appropriate. A person with a profound disability who might never be able to work would receive a higher payment than somebody with a mild disability who can. That makes sense. Those are the lines along which I am thinking.

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