Written answers
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Departmental Reports
Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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543. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress made on each of the recommendations contained in the Make Work Pay report published by her Department in 2017, in tabular form. [8313/18]
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Make Work Pay (MWP) report was published on 6thApril 2017, following the deliberations of an interdepartmental group established under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities. The interdepartmental group considered a range of approaches across relevant Departments to deliver on this commitment and made 24 recommendations under the broad headings of: reconfiguring the system of supports to ensure that work pays; promoting early intervention; communicating effectively that work pays and future proofing. The report provides time frames for the various recommendations extending up to the first quarter of 2019.
Recommendation number 24 provides that the Department of Justice and Equality undertake an annual review of the delivery of actions recommended in the MWP report and a report by my Department will be prepared in that context. In the meantime, the table below provides the status of recommendations assigned to my department particularly for those with a timeframe to end 2017. Many of the later actions are in effect in progress and on target to be delivered in the recommended timeframe.
Table: Make Work Pay recommendations assigned to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
| Action ID | Action | Implementation Date | Update/comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2b | Dispense with the requirement that work be of a 'rehabilitative nature' for the Disability Allowance earnings disregard. | Q4. 2017 | Amending legislation dispensing with the requirement, for disability allowance, blind pension and rent supplement under supplementary welfare allowance, that work must be of a rehabilitative nature has been included in Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registrations Bill 2017. |
| 4 | Allow people on a long-term disability payment who move off the payment to get a job to retain entitlement to the Free Travel Pass for a period of three years, similar to the current entitlement to retain a Medical Card. | Q1. 2018 | Implemented - people with a long-term disability payment who move off the payment to get a job will retain their Free Travel Pass for a period of five years (the report recommended retention for 3 years) |
| 7b | Put in place and promote a system for fast-track reinstatement of Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension to people with disabilities who have returned to work, and have subsequently had to leave their job within one year. | Q1. 2018 | Implemented - a fast–track return to Disability Allowance and Illness Benefit for people where employment does not work out is in place. Invalidity Pension recipients have access to the Partial Capacity Benefit scheme. |
| 8 | Establish a formal protocol in the Department of Social Protection/Intreo service that an enquiry from a person on a long-term disability payment about taking up or returning to work will not result in a review of their current entitlements. Communicate this message through all appropriate channels and face-to-face with disability claimants. | Q4. 2017 | Policy is in place. Communications being developed. |
| 9 | Reconfigure the Disability Allowance scheme for new entrants to give effect to the principle of early intervention as follows: a. Support for 16-18 year olds with significant support needs, which is currently paid by means of Disability Allowance, to be paid via Domiciliary Care Allowance up to 18 years of age; b. Explore possibilities for the reform of the structure of the Disability Allowance for those between the ages of 18-22 to focus on participation in education, training and/or social inclusion according to individual capacity. | Q4. 2018 | On the publication of the MWP report, the Government gave a clear commitment to consult widely in relation to recommendations 9 and 10. The DEASP is engaging in an extensive consultation process in the first quarter of 2018 with people with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, and sectoral representatives in relation to recommendations 9 and 10 of the MWP report. |
| 10 | Apply the principle of early intervention across all illness and disability schemes, adapting existing schemes where necessary to give effect to this principle. | Continuous | |
| 11 | Offer case officer support and other supports to people with disabilities through the Intreo service at the earliest possible opportunity, and work with them to develop a personal progression plan. | Q4. 2018 | In Progress - On Target |
| 12 | Implement the recommendations of the Department of Social Protection's Report on the Review of the Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme which focus on capacity, early intervention and back to work planning, subject to Government approval. | Q4. 2018 | In Progress - On Target |
| 13 | Develop a basic ready reckoner to enable people with disabilities to calculate the likely net monetary value of taking up or going back to work. This would cover basic tax and welfare entitlements, and indicate whether the person would be eligible on income grounds for a Medical Card. | Q2. 2018 | In Progress - On Target |
| 14(a)-(g) | Develop a proactive and ongoing strategy to communicate clear, simple and accurate information in a user-friendly way on what benefits people with disabilities will keep if they are in employment. | Q. 2019 | In Progress - On Target |
| 15 | Extend inter-agency protocols, where relevant, to include referral of people with disabilities to authoritative sources of information and guidance on the financial and other aspects of employment. | Q1. 2019 | In Progress - On Target |
| 16 | Develop and strengthen the capacity of the Department of Social Protection Intreo Service to support people with disabilities to get and maintain employment by: Designating Intreo as the first point of contact for people with disabilities interested in work; developing the Intreo Service as a welcoming and supportive environment for people with disabilities, with a personalised approach to each case; facilitating the attendance of a family member, friend or advocate to support the person with a disability throughout the engagement, if the person desires; training Intreo Service Case officers and other front-line staff to work with people with disabilities, to identify their needs, and support them to fulfil their employment ambitions, in accordance with their capacity; designating named case officers at Intreo Centres to support people with disabilities interested in taking up work; provision by the Intreo Service of a continuum of support to the person with disability as they transition into work. | Q1. 2019 | In Progress - On Target |
| 17 | Develop a suite of protocols with the range of State-funded Disability Service Providers to work in partnership with Intreo offices to advance common objectives, and support people with disabilities to fulfil their employment ambitions, in accordance with their capacity. | Q1. 2019 | In Progress - On Target |
| 18 | At local level, review and revise existing protocols and service level agreements with State service providers (including HSE offices, Education and Training Boards, EmployAbility, Local Enterprise Offices, Local Employment Services, Job Clubs, Community Resource Centres) to reflect the opportunities now available at Intreo Offices. | Q1. 2019 | In Progress - On Target |
| 19 | Provide clear information on the procedures for fast-track return to benefits, any paperwork the individual must supply, and the target timescale for restoration of a person's benefits. Provide clear information on any interim arrangements (e.g. payment of Supplementary Welfare Allowance while awaiting award of the substantive payment). Communicate this information: on the Department of Social Protection and HSE websites; through Intreo case officers working with individuals; through direct communication with individuals exiting a welfare payment to take up work; through disability organisations; and through Citizens Information Centres. | Q2. 2017 | Communications being further developed. |
| 20 | Formally proof all new schemes or reforms at design stage to minimise complexity, and ensure that a person with a disability who is interested in work is supported and is not financially disadvantaged by taking up employment. | Q2. 2017 | Ongoing |
| 21 | Review the Disability Allowance earnings disregard at regular intervals taking into account developments in the wider economy. | Q2. 2017 | Ongoing |
| 22 | Every five years, conduct an evaluation of policies in relation to income and other supports for people with disabilities (including earnings disregards, Medical Cards) from an employment perspective. | Q2. 2017 | Ongoing |
| 23 | Continue to strengthen data collection efforts and the research and evaluation capacity to inform policymaking in this area. | Q2. 2017 | Ongoing |
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