Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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652. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will provide an update on current and future employment initiatives to support people with an intellectual disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55405/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a range of employment supports for disabled people including those with an intellectual disability.

My Department's Intreo service is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports in the State. Disabled people can access mainstream employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús as well as referral to tailored supports such as Employability, a service that offers a professional job-matching service, on-going support and advice and information on employment supports for disabled people.

People with an intellectual disability can make an appointment to meet with a Designated Disability Employment Personal Advisor to discuss employment and training options. There is now a Designated Disability Employment Personal Advisor in each of the 62 Intreo offices nationwide.

In July 2022, my Department launched Early Engagement. The scheme aims to proactively engage with young disabled people or those in the early stages of disability or illness about options for education, training or employment. Over 33,000 people have been contacted and over 4,300 referrals have been made for further education or employment supports since the scheme launched.

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 disabled people into employment through 57 local, regional and national projects. Many of these projects such as Kare: Promoting Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Down Syndrome Ireland, support people with intellectual disabilities into further education, training and employment opportunities. The WorkAbility programme aims to support over 13,000 disabled people over its lifetime.

In July 2024, my Department launched a new scheme called Work and Access. This scheme offers seven supports to help disabled people get a job or stay in work. It also supports employers to take on or retain disabled people. Funding is available for communication supports, work coaches, workplace adaptations and disability equality and inclusion training. Supports are available for both the business premises and remote workplaces.

The Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to hire disabled people through a subsidy. In August 2024, my Department published a review of the scheme to make it more accessible and flexible. As a result, the minimum hours for the scheme were reduced from 21 to 15 hours. The scheme was expanded to those on Partial Capacity Benefit and to the community and voluntary sector.

An additional €3.7 million has been allocated to the scheme. In June this year, we launched the revamped scheme. A media campaign to raise awareness of this very beneficial scheme for employers and employees followed the launch. Budget 2026 has provided for a further expansion to people who acquire a disability while in employment and to those who transfer from Invalidity Pension to Partial Capacity Benefit.

Also as part of Budget 2026, the base rate of the Wage Subsidy Scheme paid to employers, will be increased from €6.30 to €7.50 per hour from April 2026. Where an employer employs between 7 and 16 employees under the scheme, they will receive a new rate of €8.50. In the case of an employer who has more than 17 employees, the rate will be €10 per hour for each employee.

In addition, the Government recently launched the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. This strategy prioritises a cross-government approach and my Department, alongside the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will lead the employment pillar, focused on improving access to the workplace for all disabled people.

I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.