Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progression rate of long-term recipients of disability payments off welfare and back into the workforce; and his Department's targets in this regard. [26275/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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My department has a range of illness and disability payments. The two largest schemes in terms of the numbers of recipients are illness benefit and disability allowance. Illness benefit is a social insurance payment for people who cannot work due to illness. Recipients must comply with certain rules of behaviour that are set out in legislation. One of the rules of behaviour states that a person cannot work while receiving illness benefit.

Approximately 80% of people leave illness benefit within six to eight weeks and return to the workforce. In order to encourage longer term claimants to take up employment or training opportunities, an exemption to the general rules of behaviour states that the claimant may engage in employment or training which is part-time (i.e less than 20 hours per week) and of a rehabilitative or therapeutic nature. The claimant must apply to my Department in advance of taking up such employment or training so that a decision can be made on whether the employment meets the criteria of part-time and rehabilitative or therapeutic in nature. At the end of September 2007 there were 71,280 on Illness Benefit, 1,187 were availing of an exemption from the rules of behaviour to engage in employment or training for rehabilitative or therapeutic purposes.

The Disability Allowance scheme currently allows for claimants to return to the workforce and remain on a full or partial Disability Allowance payment. If a person supplies a letter from their Doctor stating that the employment is of a rehabilitative nature, they may qualify for a means disregard of €120 per week.

A Disability Allowance payment may be terminated when a claimant returns to the work force and no longer requires social welfare support. Some 200 to 300 claims are terminated each year for that reason and significant numbers of other claims are terminated on means grounds, many of which also relate to taking up employment.

My Department's targets in this area flow from the National Disability Strategy which the Government launched in September 2004 to underpin the participation of people with disabilities in Irish society. The implementation of this Strategy provides the framework for policy initiatives under Towards 2016, the National Development Plan and the NAPinclusion for this group.

In line with the National Disability Strategy, the NAPinclusion high level goal in relation to people with disabilities emphasises participation in education, training and employment. The goal in the NAPinclusion is to " Increase the employment of people with disabilities who do not have a difficulty in retaining a job. The immediate objective is to have an additional 7,000 of that cohort in employment by 2010. The longer term target is to raise the employment rate of people with disabilities from 37% to 45% by 2016, as measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey. The overall participation rate in education, training and employment will be increased to 50% by 2016. These targets will be reviewed in the light of experience and the availability of better data".

The overall policy in relation to supporting employment incentives for people with disabilities will continue to be kept under review and will be monitored in the context of the NAPinclusion high level goal in relation to participation of people with disabilities.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 109: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people in receipt of the blind persons pension; the amount paid out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26189/07]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will clarify what is regarded as rehabilitative work, with regard to employment support, for people with sight loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26192/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 122 together.

Blind Pension is paid to blind people and certain people with low vision, between the ages of 18 and 66 who are habitually resident in the State, and satisfy a means test. Items which are assessed as means include:

Cash income of claimant and or spouse partner

The value of savings, investments, shares, land etc.

Any property they may have, other than their own home

Maintenance paid to applicant if deserted/separated

There are currently some 1,458 customers in receipt of the Blind Pension at the annual cost of €14.7 million.

My Department supports customers with disabilities to engage in employment of a rehabilitative nature by disregarding earnings of up to €350 per week from rehabilitative employment. To avail of a disregard for income from rehabilitative work a customer must provide medical evidence to that effect from their General Practitioner to my Department. This information is then taken into account when the customer's means are being assessed.