Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the actions she intends to take on foot of recommendations in the report on the disability sector by Watson and Nolan; her plans in terms of getting persons on disability back into the workforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13208/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The report referred to by the Deputy is “A Social Portrait of People with Disabilities in Ireland” by Dorothy Watson and Brian Nolan which was published in 2011. This report was commissioned from the Economic & Social Research Institute by my Department as part of the Social Inclusion Research Report series. It details the social and living conditions of people with disabilities and is intended to assist policy makers and service deliverers to meet the national poverty and high level social inclusion goals set out in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007–2016. While it provides a valuable detailed social portrait of people with disabilities in the State, it does not make specific recommendations for implementation.

However, I should point out that the policy of the Department is to support and facilitate people with disabilities who wish to engage in the labour force and there are a range of measures in place in this area. These include:

- Partial capacity benefit, introduced in 2012, which enables people in receipt of invalidity pension and illness benefit to take up work while continuing to receive income support.

- The earnings disregard under the disability allowance scheme which is designed to facilitate claimants of that payment to avail of employment opportunities.

- The National Internship Programme (Job Bridge) which is open to people in receipt of a disability related payment.

- The EmployAbility service which provides a dedicated job-coaching service for people with disabilities as well as providing a range of supports to employers who employ people with disabilities.