Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
871. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider introducing a cost of disability payment in addition to those in receipt of a disability related payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56654/23]
View answerMy Department provides a suite of income supports to those who cannot work due to illness or disability. Eligibility for these payments is generally not dependent on the type of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. My Department also provides a range of employment supports for disabled people who want to work or who are working.
The Indecon Cost of Disability report identified that additional costs of disability run across many areas of expenditure, including housing, transport, health, and education.
The report did not propose a Cost of Disability payment. It found that the cost of disability is significantly broader than income supports and there is not a single, typical cost of disability. Rather, there is a spectrum from low to high additional costs of disability, depending on individual circumstances.
The report concluded that disability payments should be targeted to those most in need and who face the greatest additional cost of disability rather than spreading resources thinly.
I am committed to addressing the cost of disability and improving outcomes for people with a disability. I announced a suite of measures to support disabled people in Budget 2024, including a €400 lump-sum payment in November, a Christmas Bonus double payment in December, a Cost-of-Living Bonus payment in January and a €12 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments.
However, despite these budget measures, there is still a need to reform our system of disability payments. In September, I published the Green Paper on Disability Reform to begin the conversation about improving these supports and further addressing the cost of disability.
The aim of the Green Paper is two-fold. First, it seeks to better insulate disabled people who cannot work from poverty by providing for higher rates of payment. Second, it seeks to support and encourage a higher level of employment for people with disabilities by tailoring the provision of employment supports to suit a person’s capabilities.
The Paper’s key proposal is to introduce a new long-term disability payment that has three tiers of payment with associated employment supports.
This takes into consideration the recommendations of the Cost of Disability report, which found that income supports should be differentiated by need and that government policy should facilitate employment among those who can work.
Under these proposals nobody will lose their payment or have their payment reduced. The objective is to increase people’s payments and provide more employment supports for those who can and want to work. Many people will see a significant increase in their payment of over €45 per week.
I would like to emphasise that the Green Paper is not a final design. It is proposed for public consultation and no final decisions have been taken. It offers one possible approach on how to target limited resources. Its proposals are intended to invite discussion, debate, and suggestions.
I encourage all those with an interest to express their views in our public consultation by making a submission. We would like to hear what people like and don't like about the proposals and suggestions of how they could be improved or replaced with alternatives. I have extended the consultation period until 15 March 2024.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
