Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is our first time in the Chamber together since he took up his new position. It is nice to have the Minister of State here.

In my Commencement matter, I am asking the Minister of State to outline the supports specifically for self-employed persons with disabilities. It is clear from speaking to self-employed persons with disabilities in my county of Louth and, indeed, in my engagement with people throughout the country that supports are not effectively supporting self-employed entrepreneurs who have a disability. It is a pressing matter and it affects a significant portion of society.

People with disabilities are no different from the rest of us in their entrepreneurial spirit and ambition. Often self-employment can be a viable employment option as it offers the flexibility and independence that is required in order to work around a condition. However, for these entrepreneurs to thrive, adequate supports and resources are paramount. That is why I hope the Minister of State and the Department can engage with disabled entrepreneurs in order to bring about the creation of a new innovation and equity fund for entrepreneurs and self-employed persons with disabilities.

While there are Government programmes available to support entrepreneurs and small businesses, they often come with strict criteria and are not specifically tailored to the specific needs of persons with disabilities. This fund would provide resources and supports catering for the unique challenges and opportunities that entrepreneurs and people with disabilities may face.

The Department should also work with the Department of Social Protection to ensure that in light of the cost of disabilities and the greater barrier to business start-up, there is a situation where persons with disabilities can maintain equitable supports while setting up a business. There also needs to be an easy pathway into income support systems when start-ups are not successful, such as a bridging allowance that provides income.

We need to adjust the delivery of entrepreneurial support schemes for the needs of individual participants by offering more individual supports. We also need to collect data, including measuring the impact of these dedicated entrepreneurial schemes. Entrepreneurship is a vehicle not only to foster economic development but also to promote inclusion and diversity.We all understand the important role entrepreneurship plays in creating jobs, boosting innovation and generating economic growth. However, it can be a challenge for entrepreneurs with disabilities to access capital and resources, leaving them excluded from the benefits that entrepreneurial activity brings. The establishment of a special fund for entrepreneurs and self-employed persons with disabilities can provide a vital lifeline to such individuals, enabling them to access funding and resources to start, develop and grow their businesses. For instance, this fund could provide grants to cover start-up costs, purchase equipment and-or improve accessibility in their workplace. A flexibility in some of the current grants could be adapted to ensure that they work for the self-employed disabled persons.

In this country, people with disabilities have lower levels of labour activation, which causes a big trap for many. Often, when a disabled person becomes an entrepreneur or self-employed, he or she can lose his or her benefits. One way, for instance, to support disabled entrepreneurs is to allow them to retain their medical cards. I ask that the Government supports disabled entrepreneurs and ensures that they do not end up in a poverty trap. A special fund for entrepreneurs with disabilities will not only promote economic growth it will also bring us closer to creating a more inclusive society.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Tá ceithre nóiméad aige anois.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach agus Seanadóir McGreehan. I appreciate her kind words and it is lovely to know that I am still considered new.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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Even a little bit.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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And the Minister of State is one of ours.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Yes, Senator, and in more than ways than one.

I thank Senator McGreehan for tabling a Commencement matter on this important issue. I hope that it is an issue I will be able to convey to my colleagues, so my Minister and three Ministers of State, how passionate I am about this issue not just, like the Senator, from the whole idea of equality and inclusion but also as a person who loves business, loves to see entrepreneurs and loves to see an entrepreneurial spirit. This issue has arisen a couple of times. Yesterday, Senator Ahearn mentioned this issue at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. We had a good meeting with Senator Conway and a deputation from the National Council for the Blind in Ireland a matter of weeks ago. We have to frame this issue. This economy has reached full employment, effectively, with 2.57 million people at work and an unemployment rate of just 4.2%. What does that say to us and what is the requirement we need? Obviously we need to bring in more talent from abroad to address the very clear issues in the labour market but we really need to activate and work within a more dedicated manner, with the long-term unemployed or those people who have not been in a position to either secure the role or job that they want or, in this case in particular, to start their own business, and thrive in that strong ecosystem we have for entrepreneurs and creating new enterprises.

As the Senator McGreehan well, the local enterprise offices, LEOs, are the first-stop-shop, like the LEO office located just up the road from her in Dundalk. I visited that lovely office two months ago. I think it was my first constituency visit that I made after I took up office. It was brilliant to see the amount of entrepreneurs in north County Louth, and in particular, out on the Cooley peninsula, which is located near the Senator's home place. Those entrepreneurs are doing so well. I saw an amazing signposting service of all relevant State supports through agencies as well as through, and, crucially, we do work very closely, as the Senator mentioned, with the Department of Social Protection but also the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the Revenue Commissioners, education and training board,s the Credit Review office, and Microfinance Ireland.

The LEO grant supports are available to all entrepreneurs provided their business meets the eligibility criteria of the support for which they are applying. Direct financial grant aid, such as the priming grant and the business expansion grant, are intended for businesses in the manufacturing and internationally traded services. In addition, all entrepreneurs can avail of LEO training, mentoring and management development programmes. Furthermore, LEO offices can provide additional support to entrepreneurs such as one-to-one mentoring or accommodations to assist with the completion of grant application forms, which is a relevant issue. Senator McGreehan and I probably do not think too much of form filling but we all have instances where people come to our clinics because they are daunted by having to fill out a 12-page form. People with disabilities, and people for lots of other reasons, find forms intimidating. I wish to mention a course that that the LEO mentors are providing, in conjunction with the Technological University or TU Dublin, and perhaps this is something that Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, could accept, is a course opened to anyone who self-identifies as having a disability and has a business idea that they wish to evaluate as a sustainable enterprise. It would be a great course that could be located at the Grangegorman campus of Technological University Dublin, TUD. More particularly, there is a huge opportunity for this at all of our technological universities and institutes of technology.

I reiterate how closely my Department works with the Department of Social Protection to provide grants to individuals with disabilities to assist them in their employment. This includes the reasonable accommodation fund, which consists of: the workplace equipment and adaptation grant; the job interview interpreter grant; the personal reader grant; and the employee retention grant. Both the disability allowance and the blind pension have been designed to support recipients to pursue employment opportunities, be that self-employment or insurable employment. When a person enters insurable employment, an income disregard of €165 per week is applied. In addition, 50% of earnings between €165 and €375 are disregarded for the purpose of the means test. Anyone in receipt of either the disability allowance or the blind pension is also eligible for the Department’s back-to-work enterprise allowance scheme, which has been designed to support persons to take up self-employment opportunities. The scheme operates over two years and allows a person to become self-employed yet retain 100% of their current payment in year one and 75% in year two.

I know that I am over time, Acting Chairperson, but I wish to make two key points that will address the specific request made by the Senator. I acknowledge what she said about the potential for a new innovation and equity fund. That is a suggestion that I will take back to my Department to investigate. I have outlined a plethora of supports that exist but the key issue, which is where we should work together, is that these supports are perhaps not flexible enough to meet the very unique demands of those with disabilities. I acknowledge that here today. I fundamentally think that we can do a lot more in that space, and I am open, ready, willing and able to do so. I appreciate the Acting Chairperson's indulgence.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am in no doubt about his good faith and is a huge advocate for people with disabilities in the workforce but there is a big difference between equality and equity, which is the problem. Everyone can access the grants but built-in equity in the system creates an inclusive society. People start at different levels and we, as Senators, have acknowledged on numerous occasions in this House, and the Cost of Disability In Ireland Report, which was compiled by the Department of Social Protection, highlights the cost of disability that everyone else does not have to take into consideration. Every grant needs to be equitable but they are not at the minute.

The Minister of State quite rightly talked about the workplace equipment adaptation grant. These are not individualised grants. A person is labour to his or her employer and he or she cannot bring those things with him or her. They are not individualised but they need to be for real equity. The employee retention grant is wonderful for someone who employs a person with a disability but the person with a disability does not receive it. Therefore, a lot of work needs to be done. The Department must engage with disability organisations or disabled people's organisations because a lot of work needs to be done. I am grateful for the Minister of State's openness about this matter.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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We absolutely are engaging with disability organisations. I was very grateful to Senator Conway for arranging a meeting with a deputation from the National Council for the Blind in Ireland. One of the key things that the NCBI is doing is a new retail apprenticeship scheme.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I have mentioned that.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Yes, the Senator tabled a Commencement matter on the issue so I do not need to tell her about it. I really appreciate her advocacy across this area but particularly in that regard and this one. She hit the nail on the head when she mentioned the difference between equality and equity. Of course, there is absolute equality to access in terms of the grants available but it requires a level of modification. When I visit each LEO, they are all brilliant and unique in their own way but there is not that uniformity in dealing with people who want to set up their own business, particularly those with disabilities. We need to examine the LEOs that have cracked this and have really looked to take that grants that they have, and expand and adapt them, which is key.

I appreciate the Senator tabling this Commencement matter. Her suggestion is an excellent initiative. I assure her that her comments and advocacy she has demonstrated in this Chamber, and in her home community, will be taken on board, will be acted upon and, crucially, will be delivered by those entrepreneurs with disabilities in County Louth and around the country.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit agus leis na hAirí Stáit, na Teachtaí Byrne agus O'Brien, as bheith anseo ar maidin le haghaidh díospóireachta ar na rudaí seo. I also wish to express my thanks to Senator McGreehan for tabling a very important matter. Lastly, I thank Senators Warfield and Ward for tabling such important Commencement matters.

Before suspending the House, I wish to express my thanks to all of the Ministers of State, Seanadóirí, officials, ushers and even Senator Boyhan for joining us even though he had not tabled a Commencement matter.