Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

517. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of advocates in the National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities; the estimated full-year cost of increasing the number of advocates by 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14738/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) provides an independent, confidential and free issues-based representative advocacy service that works exclusively for the person using the service and adheres to the highest professional standards. NAS has a particular remit for people with disabilities who are isolated from their community and services, have communication differences, are inappropriately accommodated, live in residential services, attend day services or have limited informal or natural supports.

NAS currently operates with a staffing of 52.5 whole-time equivalents, broken down as follows:

NAS is funded and supported by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), which has a mandate under the Citizens Information Act 2007 to provide advocacy for people with disabilities. The NAS operational grant from the Citizens Information Board for 2019 amounts to €3,250,952.

Based on 2019 costs, the following table shows the estimated cost if the number of advocates (including senior advocates) were increased by certain percentages, as requested by the Deputy.

The estimates detailed above include employer PRSI and pension contributions and estimated overheads. The figures do not include any additional administrative or managerial costs that may result were the number of advocate posts to be increased.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.