Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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185. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on permitting persons on disability allowance to access Gateway and Tús schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4465/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Tús and Gateway are work placement initiatives which aim to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed and on the live register for more than a year with respect to Tús and two years for Gateway. The eligibility criteria for both initiatives are in line with the Government’s policies on focusing resources of maintaining the work readiness and employability of jobseekers who suffered jobs losses in recent years. In order to maintain this focus, persons not in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment from the Department are not eligible for selection for these initiatives.

The Deputy should note, however, that persons in receipt of disability allowance (DA), and certain other payments for the Department, are eligible for a range of other activation initiatives. These include JobBridge, the rural social scheme, and community employment, back to work and back to education allowances, as well as other education and training supports. Additionally, a range of supports designed specifically to support people with disabilities and employers (to offer and maintain job opportunities for people with disabilities) are funded and delivered by the Department. These include a wage subsidy scheme and resources to offset the costs of providing reasonable accommodation for the employment of a person with disability or restricted mobility.

A person in receipt of DA is permitted and encouraged to work if their medical advisor recommends that such work is of a rehabilitative or therapeutic nature. They can earn €120 per week without it affecting their DA claim. Persons in receipt of DA also have the option of giving up their allowance in favour of jobseeker’s allowance if they wish to be considered for schemes such as Gateway and Tús, once they meet the eligibility criteria.

Advice on opportunities across a range of work placement, internships, self-employment, training and educational supports and options can be accessed via the Department’s offices and Intreo centres and further information is available on the Department’s website - .