Written answers

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Departmental Schemes

Photo of Pauline TullyPauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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894. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent on the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; the amount spent on the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31434/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a range of supports and grants to assist persons with disabilities to gain employment and to give financial support to employers. These schemes are outlined below.

The Wage Subsidy Scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to employ people with a disability. The work offered must be for a minimum of 21 hours per week and the subsidy is available up to 39 hours per week.

The Reasonable Accommodation Fund aims to assist both jobseekers with disabilities and private sector employers seeking to employ or retain a person with a disability, by providing a range of grants.

In summary, the grants available are:

- Workplace Equipment /Adaptation Grant, which provides funding to make the workplace more accessible.

- Job Interview – Interpreter Grant, which is a grant for an interpreter to accompany, for example, a person with hearing loss to a job interview.

- Personal Reader Grant, which provides funding for a personal reader to assist someone who is blind or visually impaired in their work.

- Employee Retention Grant Scheme, which aims to help employers retain employees who acquire a disability.

In addition to the Reasonable Accommodation Fund grants, the Disability Awareness Support Scheme (DASS) provides funding so that private sector employers can provide Disability Awareness Training for their employees. The purpose of the training is to deliver clear and accurate information about disability and to address questions that employers and employees may have.

Expenditure on the Wage Subsidy Scheme for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 (Estimated figure for the period January - May 2021) is in the table below:

Expenditure on Wage Subsidy Scheme

2019 2020 2021 (Estimated Jan - May)
€000 €000 €000
23,810 18,355 6,146

Expenditure on Disability Support to employers for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 (Estimated figure for the period January - May 2021) is in the table below:

Expenditure on Disability Supports

2019 2020 2021 (Estimated Jan - May)
€000 €000 €000
100 107 33

Photo of Pauline TullyPauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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895. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated additional cost of extending current supports which encourage and incentivise employers to hire and retain a person with a disability such as the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities and the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities to allow self-employed persons with a disability apply for these supports to hire and retain themselves; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31435/21]

Photo of Pauline TullyPauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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896. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated additional cost of permitting self-employed persons with a disability to apply for and the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities and the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities for themselves as if they were an employee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31436/21]

Photo of Pauline TullyPauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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897. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated additional cost of permitting self-employed persons with a disability to be considered as an employee for the purpose of accessing the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities and the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities to hire and retain themselves as if they were employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31437/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 895, 896 and 897 together.

People with a disability who are self-employed, or considering self-employment, cannot avail of the Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS). This provision also applies to directors of limited companies who work as paid employees in their company. The WSS is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the open labour market. The incentive is intended to encourage employers to take on new employees and the scheme provides financial incentives to employers to hire new staff with a disability for between 21 and 39 subsidised hours per week under a contract of employment. The employee must be subject to and have the same rights as per the conditions of employment as any of their other employees. These conditions include the payment of Class A PRSI contributions. As the WSS is a demand-led scheme, there is no way of predicting with any degree of accuracy the increased costs resulting from permitting those who are self-employed to avail of the schemes.

However, my Department provides a wide range of employment-related supports for persons with disabilities seeking to enter self-employment.

Disability Allowance and the Blind Pension.

The Disability Allowance and Blind Pension schemes are structured to support persons with a disability to achieve their employment ambitions - either in self-employment or as an employee.

Where a person in receipt of either payment commences employment or self-employment the first €140 of weekly earnings will be disregarded in the means test associated with the payment, while only half of earnings between €140 and €350 are assessed.

Resulting from a measure in Budget 2021, as of this month (June) the earnings disregards for both schemes increased by €20, from ?120 to €140 per week.

Invalidity Pension and Illness Benefit.

Persons in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks) and who wish to enter or re-enter employment or self-employment can apply for the Partial Capacity Benefit scheme.

The personal rate of payment of Partial Capacity Benefit is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction, regarding their capacity for work, whether the person was in receipt of Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension and their current rate of payment. After the medical assessment, if a person's disability is rated as moderate, severe or profound their previous payment continues at 50%, 75% or 100%, respectively.

There is no restriction on the number of hours that can be worked or on the amount that can be earned from employment for persons availing of the scheme.

A person who participates on the scheme may return to an Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension payment if, for example, the employment ceases or if the person cannot continue to work.

Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA)

The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme encourages people getting certain social welfare payments to become self-employed. This includes persons in receipt of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension.

A person who avails of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme retains a percentage of their social welfare payment for up to 2 years. They receive support through their DSP Intreo Case Officer, who will refer them to their Local Development Company who assists them in discussing options and to explore the viability of their business idea.

Once accepted onto the scheme the person retains 100% of their original payment in year one and 75% year two.

Reasonable Accommodations and Self Employment

The Departments Reasonable Accommodation Fund includes, the Workplace Equipment / Adaptation Grant (WEAG):

Where a person with a disability is self-employed and requires a more accessible workplace or adapted equipment they can apply for a grant towards the costs of adapting premises or equipment.

A grant of up to €6,350 is available towards the cost of adaptations to premises or equipment.

It is important to note that applications from persons who are self employed in excess of this sum may be considered on an individual basis, up to a maximum of €9,523, if specialist training for assistive technology is required.

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