Written answers

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Disability Support Services Funding

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1089. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the expenditure on the reasonable accommodation fund in each of the years 2016 to 2018, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1167/19]

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The reasonable accommodation fund assists employers to take appropriate measures to enable a person with a disability/impairment to have obtain or retain employment by providing a range of grants. These grants and supports include the workplace equipment adaptation grant, the personal reader grant, the job interview interpreter grant and the employee retention grant.

The purpose of the scheme is to assist unemployed people with disabilities to gain access to the open labour market by providing grants for “reasonable accommodations” in the private sector and to support private sector employers in the employment of people with disabilities.

The reasonable accommodation fund is a demand-led scheme in that expenditure arises in response to applications received. The actual expenditure on the components is set out in the table below:

Table: Expenditure on the Reasonable Accommodation Fund for People with Disabilities

Year201620172018
Workplace equipment and adaptation grant€54,041€69,254€100,023
Personal reader grant€16,537€31,619€12,338
Job interview interpreter grant€7,244€5,714€6,361
Employee retention grant€0€0€1,900
Total€77,822€106,587€120,622

I hope this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.

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