Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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669. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will provide an update on the employment schemes or supports available for young adults with a mild intellectual disability in the Dublin 9 area; if he will provide details of the nearest INTREO office and contact information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55404/25]

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.

Disabled people in the Dublin 9 area can access these services in Ballymun Intreo centre on Main Street, Ballymun, Dublin 9, D09 K8W2. They can contact the office at ballymun@welfare.ie or ring 0818 405060. Young adults with a mild 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.

Designated Disability Employment Personal Advisors also play a leading role in Early Engagement, launched by my Department in 2022. 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 customers have been contacted and Designated Disability Employment Personal Advisors have made 4,300 referrals to further education and training, Employability, job vacancies and employment support schemes.

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. One of these projects, St Michael’s House WorkAbility programme, is located in Dublin 9. Through Workability, they deliver WorkSkills workshops, manual handling training as well as training and assisting young adults to become valued and active members of the workforce. They also support potential employers to provide employment for disabled people.

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, job coaches and training.

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 also expanded to those on Partial Capacity Benefit and to the community and voluntary sector. Budget 2026 has provided for a further expansion, from January, to people who acquire a disability while in employment. In addition, the rates of subsidy paid under the scheme will be increased from April 2026 as a result of measures in Budget 2026.

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 disabled people.

I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.