Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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360. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to reconsider the means test for those in receipt of the blind pension; her plans to ensure those with a visual impairment are eligible to take up income opportunities should they arise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43095/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Blind Pension (BP) is a means tested payment paid to blind people and certain people with low vision, aged 18 and up to the age of 66 who are habitually resident in the State.

BP is one of a range of means-tested social assistance payments. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse / partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. The means assessment reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of income or capital are in a position to use these resources to support themselves so that social welfare expenditure can be directed towards those who need it most. Given this, changes to means assessments for schemes, including the Blind Pension, are considered within the overall budgetary context.

BP is designed to support recipients to avail of opportunities to pursue their personal employment goals, be that self-employment or in insurable employment, in that the payment is structured whereby an earnings disregard and taper are applied. Changes have also been introduced in line with the recommendations of the Make Work Pay (MWP) for people with disabilities report. For example, a €20 increase in the Blind Pension earnings disregard was introduced in Budget 2021 - currently the first €120 a week of earnings is disregarded in the means test, with a tapered reduction thereafter for earnings between €120 and €350.This increase in the disregard from €120 to €140 will commence in June 2021. Other changes introduced include the removal of the legislative requirement that work undertaken must be ‘rehabilitative’ in nature, the introduction of an online ‘ready reckoner’ (to assist people to calculate their financial position when taking up employment) and an increase in the medical card disregard to €427 a week.

Resulting also from a measure in Budget 2021, the Training Support Grant (TSG) of up to €1,000 is being expanded and it will be available through Employability services, which is a specialist employment service for Jobseekers with disabilities, delivered on the Department's behalf.

It is important to note that, in addition to providing income supports, the Department provides a wide range of employment-related supports for both jobseekers with disabilities, including persons who are blind or have a visual impairment, and employers seeking to employ a jobseeker with a disability (or retain an existing employee who has or acquires a disability). These supports for jobseekers with disabilities have been designed to enable persons with a disability to achieve their employment ambitions by focusing on the individual person’s ability and capacity, rather than on the disability. The pre-employment and in-employment supports available include:

DSP Intreo Service (the public employment service)

Jobseekers (including jobseekers with disabilities) who seek support from their local Intreo Centre, will have a meeting arranged with a case officer with a view to agreeing a suitable personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment supports available with a view to them achieving their employment ambitions.

Local Employment Service

The Department contracts for the provision of the Local Employment Service, which provides a local gateway, or access point, to the full range of services and facilities that are available to help jobseekers, including jobseekers with disabilities, to enter or return to employment.

EmployAbility Service

The Department has contracts for the provision of the EmployAbility Service with 24 companies. This is a specialist employment service designed to improve employment outcomes for jobseekers with a disability. The service includes the provision of dedicated job coach support as well as both pre-employment and in employment support and assistance.

AHEAD (Support For Graduates With Disabilities)

The Department contracts AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability) to deliver the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) and ‘Get Ahead’ programmes. These programmes provide supports for graduates with disabilities seeking to enter the workforce.

Ability

The ‘Ability’ programme is co-funded by the Irish Exchequer and the EU's ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning Operational Programme (PEIL, 2014 – 20). Under this programme funding has been provided, through Pobal, for 27 organisations to support young people (aged 15-29) with disabilities in their transition into further education or employment.

Wage Subsidy Scheme

The Wage Subsidy Scheme is targeted at private sector employers and is aimed at encouraging the employment of people with disabilities through the provision of financial incentives (a wage subsidy). The subsidy is delivered in three strands:

- Strand I subsidy is a general subsidy for any productivity shortfall in excess of 20% for a person with a disability, in comparison to a colleague without a disability. An employee must work for a minimum of 21 hours per week up to a maximum of 39 subsidised hours per week. The rate of subsidy is €5.30 per hour and the amount of the subsidy is based on the number of hours worked.

- Strand II subsidy is payable when an employer employs three or more people with a disability who are supported by a WSS Strand I payment. Strand II is intended to cover the additional supervisory, management and other work based costs relating to these employees. This top-up payment is a percentage of the Strand I subsidy and is based on the overall number of employees with a disability employed under Strand I. It ranges from an additional 10% of wage subsidy for 3 to 6 employees with a disability to a maximum of 50% of wage subsidy for 23+ employees with a disability.

- Strand III subsidy enables employers who employ 30 or more workers with a disability on the Wage Subsidy Scheme to be eligible for a grant of up to €30,000 per year towards the expense of employing an Employment Assistance Officer to support these employees.

Reasonable Accommodation Fund

The Reasonable Accommodation Fund (RAF) assists both jobseekers with disabilities and employers to enable a persons with disabilities to enter/re-enter or sustain employment by providing a range of grants. In summary, the fund is comprised of the following four grants:

1. Personal Reader Grant

If a person is blind or visually impaired and needs assistance with job-related reading, s/he may be entitled to a grant to allow him/her to employ a Personal Reader. The amount of the grant payable is based on an hourly fee paid to the reader, in line with the current minimum wage, for an agreed period - for a maximum of 640 hours per year.

2. Employee Retention Grant

The purpose of the Employee Retention Grant Scheme is to assist employers to retain employees who acquire a disability by providing funding to:

• Identify accommodation and / or training to enable the employee to remain in his/hercurrent position; or
• Re-train the employee so that s/he can take up another position within the company.

3. Workplace Equipment / Adaptation Grant

Where a person with a disability has been offered employment or is in employment, and requires a more accessible workplace or adapted equipment to do the job, s/he or the employer may apply for a grant towards the costs of adapting premises or equipment.

4. Job Interview Interpreter Grant

A jobseeker who is deaf, hard of hearing or has speech impairment and is attending job interviews, may apply for funding to have a sign language interpreter or other interpreter to attend the interview with him/her. Funding can also be provided to cover the costs of an interpreter during an induction period when starting work.

Disability Awareness Training Support Scheme

In addition to the RAF, the Disability Awareness Training Support Scheme (DASS) provides funding (a grant) for the provision of Disability Awareness Training for a company's staff. The purpose of the training is to deliver clear and accurate information about disability and to address questions or concerns that employers and employees may have about working with and supporting a colleague with disabilities.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.