Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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1406. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures to support and promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities; the progress made under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities; and the new initiatives planned to improve access to the workforce for individuals with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18992/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Comprehensive Employment Strategy set out a number of actions for my Department. They included measures around early intervention, employment activation, and reform of employment supports, such as the Wage Subsidy Scheme.

In recent years, my Department has introduced and reformed a number of supports to implement these recommendations and promote employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

In July 2022, my Department launched Early Engagement. The scheme aims to proactively engage disabled people in a ‘return to work’ process in the early stages of disability or illness. Specially trained Intreo staff reach out to people on Disability Allowance for 6 to 12 months and people on Disability Allowance aged 18 to 25 to invite them to discuss employment and training supports. All engagement is on a voluntary basis. Nearly 28,000 people have been contacted and nearly 3,000 referrals have been made for further education or employment supports since the scheme launched.

In July 2024, my Department launched a new scheme called Work and Access. This scheme offers seven supports to improve access in the workplace for people with a disability. Funding is available for communication supports, 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 - it is co-financed with the EU Employment, Inclusion, Skills, and Training Programme. This programme aims to support people with disabilities into employment through 57 local, regional and national projects. In 2024, just over 1,400 people with a disability engaged with these 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.

Notwithstanding these improvements, the Government recognises that more needs to be done to support people with disabilities into employment. The new Programme for Government prioritises improvements to employment supports for people with disabilities. These commitments include:

• to review the minimum hours requirement and examine an increase in the payment rate for the Wage Subsidy Scheme;
• to expand and build on successful programmes like WorkAbility, Employability and Work and Access; and
• to examine ways to make it easier to regain Disability Allowance if employment ceases.