Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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530. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will review the supports that are in place for employers to employ and retain persons with disabilities; if she will consider extending these supports to persons with disabilities who are self-employed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4401/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In addition to providing income supports, my Department provides a wide range of employment-related supports, for both jobseekers with disabilities and employers (including the self-employed) seeking to employ a jobseeker with a disability or retain an existing employee who has or acquires a disability.

A summary of the income and employment supports available is set out below.

Intreo Service

The Department's Intreo service is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports in the State. Intreo provides a case managed employment service and supports to both jobseekers and employers. Jobseekers, including jobseekers with disabilities, who seek support from their local Intreo Centre, work 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.

Local Employment Services

The Department contracts for the provision of Local Employment Services with 22 companies in 26 locations. Providers deliver a case managed employment service for all, including those with disabilities, who avail of the services. Jobseekers work with a LES Mediator to develop a personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment supports available. Providers also deliver a recruitment and job matching service for employers.

Specialist Employability Services

The Department recognises the additional challenges some jobseekers with disabilities may experience in securing and maintaining employment, and so contracts for the provision of services to help address this. The Department contracts with 24 companies for the delivery of EmployAbility services in 31 locations. A jobseeker, with a disability, who is working with their Intreo Case Officer or LES Mediator may be referred to an EmployAbility service provider only if it is agreed between the Case Officer or Mediator and the Jobseeker that they would benefit from the type of services and support provided. Providers deliver a supported employment model of services for jobseekers with disabilities. Jobseekers work with a job Coach who provides both pre-employment and in-employment support and assistance. Providers also deliver a recruitment and job matching service for employers.

There are a number of supports for employers to recruit jobseekers with disabilities or to retain employees who have acquired a disability as follows:

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 ofemployees 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 25 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 (including the self-employed) to enable 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:

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/her current position; or

- Re-train the employee so that s/he can take up another position within the company.

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.

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.

Personal Reader Grant

If a person is blind or visually impaired and needs assistance with job-related reading, s/he can apply for a grant to allow him/her to employ a Personal Reader.

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.

Income Supports: and Employment

Both Disability Allowance (DA) or Blind Pension (BP) are structured to support recipients to avail of opportunities to pursue their own employment ambitions, be that self-employment or in insurable employment.

When an individual commences employment, they can avail of an income disregard of €120 per week. In addition, a 50% taper on earnings between €120 and €350 is also applied (disregarded), for the purpose of the means test. It is important to note that a €20 per week increase in the DA and BP earnings disregards, from €120 to €140 per week, was introduced in Budget 2021 and will commence in June 2021.

Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) allows a person who has been in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of six months) and who may not have full capacity for work, to return to employment or self-employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment. There are no restrictions on earnings from employment or number of hours worked under the PCB scheme.

The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme to support persons including persons with disabilities to become self-employed. The BTWEA programme has been designed so customers who avail of it retain a percentage of their income support payment for up to 2 years. Persons in receipt of a wide range of income supports, including disability allowance and blind pension, are eligible for the scheme. Details of the scheme are available at

My Department continues to keep the range of income and employment supports under review. Any proposed changes to the supports provided must also be considered in an overall budgetary context.