Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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378. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the services and supports available to a person with an intellectual disability in Cork city seeking employment. [36152/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a wide range of services and supports to assist jobseekers with a disability to find work and to incentivise employers to recruit them support them in employment.

Disability-related income schemes have been designed to support people with disabilities to enter or return to employment or self-employment.  Both Disability Allowance and Blind Pension are structured to support recipients to avail of opportunities to pursue their employment ambitions, be that self-employment or insurable employment.  When an individual commences employment, they can avail of an income disregard of €140 per week and 50% of earnings between €140 and €375 per week are disregarded in the means test.  The Partial Capacity Benefit scheme allows a person who has been in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit to enter or return to employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment.  

The Back To Work Enterprise Allowance has been designed to support persons, including persons with disabilities, to become self-employed. Customers retain a percentage of their income support payment for up to 2 years.

My Department provides a case managed employment service to jobseekers, including those with disabilities, who seek support from their local Intreo Centre.  They 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.  Intreo also delivers a recruitment and job matching service for employers. 

Employment programmes such as Community Employment and the Work Placement Experience Programme provide valuable stepping stones into sustainable employment.  My Department also contracts AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability) to deliver the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) and ‘Get Ahead’ Programmes on its behalf.  These programmes provide paid work experience and other supports for graduates with disabilities seeking to enter or re-enter employment.

If the person would like to explore education and training options, there are a wide range of opportunities available with mainstream and specialist training providers.  Funding is also available through the Training Support Grant to help the person to access private sector training providers. 

As part of our commitments under the Pathways to Work Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy, my Department is shortly to commence an early engagement approach that will see the Intreo service proactively engaging with persons with a disability at the earliest opportunity, to offer support and assistance to help them enter or return to employment.  The process will initially focus on persons aged 18 to 22 and in receipt of Disability Allowance, before being expanded to other age groups and schemes.  

My Department also contracts for the provision of Local Area Employment Services.  Providers deliver a case managed employment service for all jobseekers, including those with disabilities.   

My Department recognises the additional challenges that some jobseekers with disabilities may experience in securing and maintaining employment, and contracts for the provision of specialist employment services (EmployAbility) to help address this.  A jobseeker with a disability who is working with their Intreo case officer (or LEAS provider) may be referred to these service providers if it is agreed that they would benefit from the type of services and support provided.  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.

My Department also provides a range of services and supports for employers to recruit/retain jobseekers with a disability, including financial incentives under the Wage Subsidy Scheme and Reasonable Accommodation Fund Grants.  The Disability Awareness Support Scheme provides funding for employers to pay for disability awareness training for staff who work with a colleague with a disability.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.