Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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22. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress being made to address the entitlements of those whose profession is of a sporadic nature and the stress this causes for persons, for example, in the acting profession; and her plans to extend the arts scheme for longer than a year. [15646/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The main social welfare supports for unemployed people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment are the jobseeker’s allowance (JA) and jobseeker’s benefit (JB) schemes.  

A pilot initiative to assist self-employed visual artists and writers who apply to my Department for JA was launched in June 2017.  The initiative involved collaboration between my Department and what is now the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with the support and advice of the Arts Council.  It was agreed after a process of consultation that the initiative would apply to members of Visual Arts Ireland and the Irish Writers Centre.  The pilot gives recipients 12 months to focus on building up their work and develop their creative potential before they are subject to activation.  A total of some 90 people have participated in this pilot since its introduction.

My Department is currently reviewing this pilot and its findings will inform any decisions on the future and its extension to professional artists in other disciplines.   

While actors, including those which are self-employed, are not in a position to access this pilot they may qualify for JA or JB provided they satisfy the conditionality of the scheme.  Both schemes provide significant support allowing individuals to work up to 3 days a week and still retain access to a reduced jobseeker’s payment.  In addition the Government has agreed to introduce a social insurance based JobSeeker Benefit scheme for people who are self-employed.  The terms of this scheme are being finalised and will be published shortly.  As many people in the arts sector are self-employed this will be of benefit to them.

I would advise that any person experiencing unemployment, including actors whose employment is of a sporadic nature, to engage with their local Intreo office for support.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to introduce flexibility and support in the social protection system for persons with mental health difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15363/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection provides a range of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability.  Entitlement to these supports is not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability itself but on the extent to which a person’s capacity to work is restricted by illness or disability.

The Make Work Pay report for People with Disabilities, published in April 2017, identified the need for flexibility in both the income support and the health, namely medical card, systems.  This is particularly the case where a person with a disability takes up a job but that job does not work out.

Anxiety in such circumstances can be particularly pronounced among those with mental health issues, given the episodic nature of such conditions.  While work is on-going, in line with recommendations of the Make Work Pay report, a number of changes have already been implemented by my Department to support persons in such circumstances.  These include:

- a 'fast-track return to disability allowance' protocol has been put in place  should a particular employment opportunity prove unsuitable;

- people who are participating on the partial capacity benefit scheme may return to illness benefit or invalidity pension if they find that they cannot continue to work;

- people with a long-term disability who take up employment will retain their Free Travel Pass for a period of five years;

- a “Benefits of Work” calculator for persons with a disability is now available on the Department's website to help people calculate the net benefit of entering or returning to work;

- the requirement that work be of a ‘rehabilitative’ nature, where a person in receipt of Disability Allowance wishes to undertake employment, has been removed.

The Department of Health also recently introduced a significant improvement to the medical card assessment process which will enable persons in receipt of a Disability Allowance payment to have a greater earnings capacity and still retain their medical card.  The medical card earnings disregard for persons in receipt of Disability Allowance has been significantly increased from €120 to €427 per week.

In addition, the Department has also supported the HSE in its roll out of its Individual Placement Service, or IPS.  The IPS model of support is an evidence based approach to supporting persons who experience mental health difficulties.  The model of support aims to improve the mental health outcomes for persons availing of the service as well as to increase the likelihood they will access employment.  This service will be available in all HSE Community Healthcare Organisation areas in 2019.