Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 October 2004
135 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the finding in the Report of the Working Group of Illness and Disability Payment 2003 that the risk of an ill person or a person with a disability falling into consistent poverty is three times higher than that incurred by the rest of the population; if he has proposals to reduce this risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23309/04]
View answerA review of the various illness and disability income maintenance payments was carried out as part of my Department's ongoing programme of expenditure reviews.
In its analysis of the effectiveness of the income support system in tackling poverty, the working group found that for persons in receipt of illness and disability payments, there had been a significant decline in consistent poverty from almost 23% in 1994 to just over 16% in 2001. Significantly, this fall reflects an almost halving in the proportion of those experiencing basic deprivation. The decline in those experiencing consistent poverty among those in receipt of illness or disability payments is reflected in the decline in consistent poverty in the population generally from 14.5% in 1994 to just under 5% in 2001.
Nonetheless, the review drew attention to the fact that the rate of consistent poverty for those in receipt of an illness or disability payment is over three times higher than the population generally and significantly higher than most other categories of social welfare recipients such as old age pensioners and unemployed persons. This suggests that factors other than the very considerable rise in the real value of social welfare payments played a role.
The report identifies a number of factors which could be considered as affecting these trends including: trends in social welfare rates relative to other groups; the lack of employment opportunities for people with disabilities; issues related to additional costs of disability; the impact of extended durations on the social welfare system compared with persons on shorter durations; and differences in household composition among the group.
In relation to social welfare rates, Government policy is to increase the real level of social welfare over the period to 2007 and I am confident that this commitment will be reflected when social welfare rates increases for next year are announced in the context of the forthcoming budget. This would benefit all social welfare recipients, including those in receipt of illness and disability payments.
The report also identified a number of areas where employment support could be strengthened within the social welfare system and across Departments generally and the report will provide guidelines for my Department's future strategy in this area.
In relation to the additional costs associated with disability, 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.
The report also highlights the need for better data and more research to strengthen our understanding of the links between poverty and disability and I will be pursuing this as part of my Department's research agenda.
