Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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371. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the full year cost in 2017 of extending the wage subsidy scheme to those in receipt of the partial capacity benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20726/16]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The partial capacity benefit (PCB) scheme is designed for people who are on illness benefit, for at least six months, or on invalidity pension and who have retained some capacity for work and wish to work. If awarded, PCB will allow them to continue to receive, in addition to their earnings from employment, a percentage of their illness benefit or invalidity pension payment while working.

The wage subsidy scheme (WSS) is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the open labour market. The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to hire people with a disability for between 21 and 39 hours per week under a contract of employment.

Assuming that all PCB recipients would meet the hours worked threshold and based on current number of recipients, the cost of extending the WSS to those participating on the PCB scheme would be around €13.75 million.

Budgetary considerations would be a key factor in relation to extending eligibility for the WSS to employers who employ people in receipt of PCB.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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372. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the expenditure from 2011 to date on the reasonable accommodation fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20727/16]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The reasonable accommodation fund for the employment of people with disabilities assists employers to take appropriate measures to enable a person with a disability/impairment to have access to employment by providing a range of grants. These grants and supports include:

-the workplace equipment and adaptation grant,

-the personal reader grant,

-the job interview interpreter grant, and

-the employee retention grant.

The data sought by the Deputy is set out in the following tables with the latest figures. Data in respect of 2011 is not available as this scheme transferred from FAS into this Department in 2012.

Expenditure on the Reasonable Accommodation Fund for People with Disabilities

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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373. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the full year cost in 2017 of increasing the carer's allowance and benefit, disability allowance and benefit, blind pension and invalidity pension by €7.00, €10.00; €12.00 and €15.00, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20728/16]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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389. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the cost to the Exchequer of restoring carer's allowance and carer's benefit back up to the 2009 rates of €220.50 and €221; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20841/16]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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403. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing carer's allowance to the rates paid in 2009 of €220.50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21195/16]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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404. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing carer's benefit to the rates paid in 2009 of €221; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21196/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 373, 389, 403 and 404 together.

The following table lists the cost of a €7.00, €10.00; €12.00 and €15.00 increase in weekly rates of Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit (formerly Disability Benefit), Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension. The costs include a proportionate increase for recipients with qualified adults, where applicable. In the case of Carer’s Allowance, the cost includes rate increases both for those under 66 years of age and those aged 66 and over.

The estimated cost of increasing the weekly rate of Carer’s Benefit to a rate of €221.00 per week is €2.3 million in 2017.

The costs shown above are on a full year basis and assume that, where relevant, each increase is implemented from the beginning of January. It should be noted that these costings are subject to change over the coming months in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2017.