asked the Minister for Social Welfare what percentage of the sightless population is employed in this country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Employment of Sightless Persons.
46.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to answer Questions Nos. 45 and 46 together.
Information as to the total number of blind persons or as to the total number of such persons who are in employment is not available.
The Old Age Pensions Acts provide for payment, subject to a means test, of pension at 21 years of age to a person who is so blind that either he cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue his ordinary occupation. There are approximately 6,000 persons in receipt of this form of pension.
Would the Minister not think it advisable that a proper register of blind persons should be kept? Furthermore, according to the National Institute for the Blind, only two per cent are employed here as against five per cent in Northern Ireland and 12 per cent in Britain. Does the Minister not think the percentage here very low?
I would have no way of discovering how many blind people there are in the country.
Would the Minister not think it would be a good idea to have a register?
What does the Minister mean when he says he would have no means?
Blindness is not notifiable.
Is it not substantially true that a number of persons in receipt of blind pensions are not blind in the ordinary accepted sense of that word inasmuch as they are deemed to be blind if their physical defect prevents them from following their normal occupations?
That is correct. These 6,000 would not all be blind.
Is it not also true that the conditions which must be fulfilled exclude a vast number and these are not included in this figure of 6,000 the Minister has given; they are, in fact, incapable of earning their living and can be deemed to be blind? In the light of that, does he not consider it highly desirable that a register should be kept? It should not be outside his capacity to devise some method for keeping such a register.
It would not be any function of the Minister for Social Welfare to find this out, and it is, of course, true it is only people who qualify on the means test who qualify for blind pensions.
Has the Minister not got a section in his Department dealing with the rehabilitation of the blind? Surely these people are not confined merely to those who are drawing blind pensions?
I have no section in my Department dealing with rehabilitation.
There used to be an officer in the Department dealing with rehabilitation.
I do not think it has anything to do with the Department of Social Welfare.
How can the Minister formulate decisions in relation to the blind if he does not know how many there are?
I do not have to formulate any decisions in regard to them.