Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

7. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will extend all Intreo services to persons with disabilities, including all the voluntary activation schemes, including the Youth Guarantee and MOMENTUM, regardless of payment type that the disabled person is on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24678/15]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

This issue has already arisen in questions asked today. When will the Intreo services that are available for able-bodied people be extended fully to the disabled sector of the community?

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government recognises the importance of increasing participation in employment for persons with a disability. The Department provides a wide range of work-related supports, which in 2015 will cost approximately €37 million, solely for persons with a disability. A 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 for people with disabilities is provided in ten locations. This number will be extended over time based on operational experience.

The youth guarantee implementation plan provides for the introduction of earlier and more intensive engagement by Intreo with young unemployed people on the live register. Pathways to Work 2015 includes a commitment to develop and evaluate options to extend employment services to people not on the live register and improve the promotion and communication of existing activation options for this group. Young people with disabilities will be considered in this context. It is important to ensure that young people with disabilities get these opportunities. The MOMENTUM programme operated by SOLAS for the Department of Education and Skills was designed to provide free education and training to long-term jobseekers. The Department is positively disposed to opening access to the MOMENTUM programme to people with disabilities and is currently investigating and considering how this group can be accommodated in the programme.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The unemployment rate of 10% was mentioned but unemployment among those who are disabled ranges from 60% to 70%. There are activation measures to encourage the unemployed off the dole queues and into employment and it is only fair and just that those with a disability should have equal access to those activation measures. I received communication from the Disability Federation of Ireland which states that those on disability payments, for example, are not included on the live register and, therefore, are discriminated against when they seek activation and employment opportunities on a par with their non-disabled peers. Did I understand the Minister of State to say that all activation measures, apart from the MOMENTUM and the Youth Guarantee, are available on a voluntary basis to those with a disability? Could I get clarification on that? When can we expect those programmes to be extended to those with a disability, even on a voluntary basis?

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Dea for recognising the significant progress in reducing the live register. He is quite correct. The unemployment rate was at 15%, and heading for 500,000, but more than 100,000 net new jobs have been created in the economy since February 2012 and we have seen the unemployment rate drop into single figures. In the disability sector, the unemployment rate is far too high. It is key that the Intreo services are provided on a voluntary basis. Those are available in ten locations, including the one in Limerick. We want to roll the service out to all the other Intreo centres but we need to see what is the operational experience of that. The Minister and I want to provide the best service we possible can for those with disabilities. As I stated earlier, the State is spending €37 million solely on activation measures for persons with a disability.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for that information. I will not get into a debate on what sort of jobs we have created-----

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I would very much welcome it, if the Deputy wishes.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

-----and how better off people are as a result of all those jobs that have been created.

I have a specific question for the Minister of State. The Disability Federation of Ireland has also brought to my attention that the probability of exit, PEX, score, used by the Department of Social Protection, measures the probability of exit from the live register. The Disability Federation of Ireland and other organisations representing those with a disability are unhappy that the PEX is a one-size-fits-all structure. They are unhappy that it is not designed to accommodation variables associated with disabling conditions. Has that been brought to the Minister of State's attention and is the Department looking at that?

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for bringing that to my attention. I have not looked at that recently but I certainly will do so.

I am quite happy to debate the 100,000 net new jobs that have been created since February 2012. When that target was announced, I remember Members on the Opposition benches stating it was overly ambitious, it would not be delivered and we would be looking at 2017. The plan was that over 100,000 jobs would be created in the economy by 2016. We have done that this year, a year ahead of schedule. In fact, there have been 104,464 net jobs created in the economy. I thank Deputy O'Dea for acknowledging that. Certainly, the best way out of poverty is getting into work and for those who have taken up employment, it has transformed their lives. Sadly, there are not more jobs. There are far too many still unemployed but we are rebuilding the country from the mess that we were left with.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am sure the people will reward the Minister of State accordingly.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy who tabled Question No. 8 is not present, so we will move on to Question No. 9.