Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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371. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the numbers of people who remain in receipt of the employment support scheme for people with disabilities, a predecessor of the wage subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67623/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 32 employers who remain in receipt of the Employment Support Scheme with 38 employees supported, as of October 2025.

The Employment Support Scheme offered financial support to employers to cover a disabled employee’s productivity shortfall. The employer paid 100% of the gross wage, then claimed between 20%-50% back, depending on, what was then described as the employee’s productivity shortfall.

The Wage Subsidy Scheme came into operation as a pilot scheme in September 2005. It replaced the Pilot Programme for the Employment of People with Disabilities and the Employment Support Scheme, both of which were closed to new applicants at that time.

Following a review of its pilot phase, the Wage Subsidy Scheme was placed on a permanent non-statutory footing in October 2008.

Customers on the Pilot Programme for the Employment of People with Disabilities were absorbed into Wage Subsidy Scheme. Any employee in an employment subsidised under the Employment Support Scheme in 2005 when the scheme closed to new applicants was allowed to remain on the scheme, but only in that specific employment. If the Employment Support Scheme employment terminates, the employee cannot transfer their Employment Support Scheme to a new employment but can instead apply for the Wage Subsidy Scheme.

There are currently 1,509 employers availing of the Wage Subsidy Scheme with 2,538 employees supported through the scheme.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.