Vol. 569 No. 3
423 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that 54.4% of households headed by a disabled person are living at or below the 60% poverty line; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that at least 70% of people with a disability are unemployed; and if she has new plans to change that situation. [17400/03]
The analysis undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, of the results of the Living in Ireland survey for 2000 indicated that 54.4% of households headed by a person who was ill or disabled were at risk of poverty as the household income was below 60% of the median household income. This compares with a risk of poverty of 22.1% for all household types.
The latest figures relating to the employment of people with disabilities show that just over 40% of all persons aged 15 to 64 with a disability, or health problem, indicated that they were in employment, which compares to an overall rate of 65% for the total population in the same age category. These figures are obtained from the Central Statistics Office's report on disability in the labour force as part of its quarterly national household survey, QNHS, for the second quarter of 2002.
The revised national anti-poverty strategy, NAPS – entitled Building an Inclusive Society and launched in February 2002 – sets out the Government's approach to tackling the issues of poverty and social exclusion for all groups vulnerable to poverty, including people with disabilities. It is a key objective of the NAPS to increase the participation of people with disabilities in work and in society generally and to support people with disability, and their families, to lead full and independent lives.
The NAPS identifies the lack of baseline data in respect of people with disabilities as a key constraint in setting specific targets for this group. While the QNHS data, to which I have already referred, represents a significant first step towards addressing this deficiency, the issue is receiving further attention in the context of the development of a comprehensive data strategy to underpin the NAPS process.
The NAPS, however, contains income adequacy targets which will have a positive impact on the position of all groups vulnerable to poverty. A working group, established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness and chaired by the Department of Health and Children, is examining the issues associated with the introduction of a costs of disability payment.
