Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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766. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the additional supports that are being considered to improve employment opportunities and social welfare provisions for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3592/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a range of income and employment supports to people with disabilities.

Disability Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment for people habitually resident in Ireland with a disability and who are aged between 16 and 66. The disability must be expected to continue for at least a year and substantially restrict a person’s ability to undertake suitable work. Blind Pension is a means-tested social assistance payment for people who are visually impaired aged between 18 and 66 and who are habitually residing in Ireland.

People on Disability Allowance or Blind Pension can take up employment or self-employment and earn up to €165 a week and keep their full rate of their payment. Their payment is tapered above €165, meaning that a person can earn up to €517.60 a week and still keep their entitlement to the minimum rate of payment and secondary benefits.

Invalidity Pension is a social insurance payment for people who cannot work due a long-term illness or disability. It is payable for people who are under retirement age and who have the required social insurance contributions. People in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks) who wish to return to work may be eligible for Partial Capacity Benefit if their capacity for work is reduced as a result of their medical condition. The personal rate of payment of Partial Capacity Benefit is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction in capacity for work. Partial Capacity Benefit has been designed so there are no restrictions or limits on earnings from employment or on the number of hours a person can work.

In July 2024, my Department launched the Work and Access scheme. This new scheme offers seven supports to help reduce and remove barriers in the workplace for people with a disability. Grants are available for communication supports, job coaches, work equipment, workplace adaptations and training. Jobseekers, employees, self-employed people and employers may apply for supports both for the business premises and remote workplaces.

In December 2023, my Department established the WorkAbility programme to support people with disabilities into employment through 57 local, regional and national projects. The programme is running from January 2024 to December 2028. It aims to support over 13,000 disabled people progress their training and employment ambitions over its lifetime.

The Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to hire people with disabilities through a subsidy. In August 2024, my Department published a review of the scheme to make it more accessible and flexible to people with disabilities and their employers. An additional €3.7 million has been allocated to implement the review’s recommendations. In April 2024, the minimum hours for the scheme were reduced from 21 to 15 hours. The remaining recommendations from the review will be implemented early this year.

Budget 2025 provided for increased payment rates and introduced significant supports for people with disabilities, including:

• €12 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments in January 2025;
• €400 cost of living lump sum payment for people in receipt of disability payments;
• Two double payments, one in October and one in December 2024;
• €12 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly payments for employment schemes, including the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Community Employment, Tús and Rural Social Scheme.

• to introduce an annual Cost of Disability Support Payment;
• to reform the Disability Allowance payment and remove anomalies from the means test;
• to progressively increase weekly disability payments;
• to review the minimum hours requirement and examine an increase in the payment rate for the Wage Subsidy Scheme; and
• to expand and build on successful programmes like Workability, Employability and Work and Access.