Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned disabled people working part time. A lot of people are working part time but they are often in low-paid work as well. One of the things that comes through regularly at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters is people's fear of a loss of income and secondary supports if they take up employment. The secondary supports mentioned in particular are the medical card and the free travel pass. I know they can retain them for a number of years but they need them long term. A lot of disabled people have many medical conditions so they need the medical card and they cannot afford to pay for medical costs even after a number of years of employment.

The cost of disability report commissioned by the Department identified huge costs for disabled people. It found that 38.1% of disabled people in this country are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, which is higher than anywhere else in western Europe.

All of these things need to be taken into account and all of the supports looked at.

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