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

On Committee Stage, I committed to initiate a wide-ranging review of means testing in the Department. I said I would review all those schemes. This review will with cover the treatment of income and disregards across schemes generally and will therefore include the examination of thresholds and their impact for both the blind pension and the disability allowance scheme. I take the Deputy's point about somebody who has won a grant to do a particular piece of work as an artist. I understand where she is coming from now. Regarding the disabled artists assistance that the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, introduced, it is very hard for me to say that that payment should not be taken into account as income if there is a different treatment for a disabled person who is not an artist working another job. It is very hard to say that one disabled person is more deserving than another. It is a difficult space to be in.

I did change Catherine's Law when we established that Catherine Gallagher had a disability and was going to lose out on her bursary to finish her education. We were able to do something on that.

I will do this review and I will take on board at what the Deputy has said. The disabled artists made a pre-budget submission and attended the pre-budget forum. We will look at that when we are doing the reviews.

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