Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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1027. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to introduce a new structure and employment supports for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11578/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department keeps all our income and employment supports for people with disabilities under review to ensure they meet their policy objectives.

These payments include Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and Blind Pension, as well as employment supports such as Partial Capacity Benefit, the Wage Subsidy Scheme and Work and Access.

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.

People in receipt of Invalidity Pension who wish to return to work may be eligible for Partial Capacity Benefit. The personal rate of payment of Partial Capacity Benefit is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction in capacity for work. There is no limit to what people can earn from employment on the payment.

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. Funding is available for supports such as work coaches, work equipment, 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 aims to support over 13,000 disabled people progress their training and employment ambitions over five years.

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. My Department is currently implementing the remaining recommendations.

The Programme for Government – Securing Ireland’s Future sets out a number of commitments to improve my Department's income and employment supports. These commitments include:

• 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.