Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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928. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if, in line with Action 70 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to undertake a review of the accessibility and user-friendliness of all application forms for disability supports with the autistic community; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57317/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to working to ensure that services and information can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, ability or disability.

In developing our communications, we use the guidelines outlined in the Customer Communications Toolkit for the Public Service - A Universal Design Approach. The guidance in this toolkit is based on a Universal Design approach promoted by the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) at the National Disability Authority (NDA).

Primary application forms in my Department are designed to be as accessible as possible and follow the guidelines of the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform, as set-out in its Plain English Style Guide for the Public Service. We also work with the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). They provide Plain English training for staff as well as input on accessibility when developing our forms and other customer materials, e.g. ‘Your Guides to our Schemes and Services’, and the Illness, Disability and Caring guide.

The all-of-government platform gov.ie is partially compliant with the AA Standards under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 international guidelines, to ensure the website is accessible for people with disabilities. My department's content on this site is also developed using Plain English and regularly updated in line with customer feedback and comments provided by site users. We have an accessible ‘request an application’ form, which is interactive, on gov.ie.

As part of our ongoing work to improve the accessibility of our communications we have also committed to reducing our use of PDFs on the website due to their inaccessibility, as text is not searchable on a page. PDFs can be an obstacle for people with disabilities mostly because they don’t support assistive technology. My department will continue to work with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) to improve the accessibility and usability of gov.ie.

My department has developed the MyWelfare platform as the online home of welfare services and is committed to making the information on MyWelfare accessible to all, regardless of ability. In order to achieve this, MyWelfare has been designed to follow guidelines set out by the W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium). The W3C WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) produces accessibility guidelines that are an internationally recognised benchmark of accessibility. My department is committed to inclusive design, enabling websites which can be used by all users including those who may have cognitive or physical impairments. The design of MyWelfare supports cognitive and visual impairments to ensure that for all users there is a smooth journey and experience through the site. In designing new services for MyWelfare, the Department continues to engage with customers and stakeholder groups to assist in the design and testing of prototypes to help shape online services in a customer centric manner. MyWelfare’s accessibility statement includes a statement of commitment and a compliance status statement as required under the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020.

Access Officers have been appointed across my department to provide or coordinate assistance and guidance for people with disabilities so they can access the services and information we provide. This is in accordance with section 26(2) of the Disability Act 2005. A list of Access Officers and their contact information is available online at gov.ie.

Delivering on the commitments in my department's Customer Action Plan, sensory rooms and JAM (Just a Minute) cards are being introduced to the network of Intreo Offices, to provide space, and extra time or assistance to those who need it.

My officials regularly engage with stakeholder groups, and feedback from the people who access our services is always welcome. Our stakeholder engagement includes a biannual Customer Service Representative Forum, where groups have an opportunity to hear about relevant developments to services and to communicate feedback from their members and stakeholders. Maintaining accessible services is an ongoing process and as part of this process my department continues to investigate any barriers to accessing its information and services. Costs for implementation are covered within my Department's administrative budget.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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929. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if, in line with Action 71 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to initiate a review of application processes and their transparency to minimise the rate of rejection of applications for disability supports and care supports; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57318/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. In general, eligibility to social welfare schemes which involve?medical or caring conditionality take longer to process than non-medical schemes, and may require a review of a more in-depth level of information.

Since 2022 and into 2023, a series of projects were undertaken by my Department to review the application forms for the Carers Allowance and Benefit schemes, in addition to the forms for Disability Allowance and Invalidity Pension. This review sought to ensure any information needed to decide eligibility for each scheme was requested and presented on the application form in an easy to understand manner. The review also sought to eliminate requests for information already available to a Deciding Officer through existing data held by the Department.

A series of stakeholders were consulted throughout the process.

The amended forms ensure that only information that is required to complete the application is requested and Plain English is used to assist the application process.

It is important to note that an initial incomplete application for one of these schemes will not, in isolation, result in a disallowed decision when reviewing someone's eligibility. Where an applicant has misunderstood what is requested, or there are gaps in the information required to determine an individual's eligibility, a Deciding Officer will contact the applicant to request any further information required in support of their application.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.