Vol. 501 No. 1
156 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person on disability benefit is not entitled to the back-to-work allowance in view of the fact that 1,000 places are held on this scheme for people on disability allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5362/99]
The objective of the back-to-work allowance scheme is to provide a financial incentive to the long-term unemployed to return to work. The scheme has a limited number of places and is targeted primarily at those on long-term unemployment and one-parent family payments. However, 1,000 places have been reserved for people with disabilities of a long-term nature, namely, persons in receipt of disability allowance or blind person's pension. Disability benefit is not regarded as a long-term payment and there are no plans to have it included as a qualifying payment for the allowance.
In the case of disability benefit and other schemes for incapacitated people there are arrangements in place under which, in certain circumstances, recipients can take up employment of a therapeutic or rehabilitative nature with a view to their return to the workforce.
