Disability Activation Projects

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2015

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

Questions (13)

Seán Kyne

Question:

13. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the measures her Department has taken in helping persons on support schemes such as illness benefit or disability allowance to re-enter the workforce; if supports will take into account the trial and error nature of returning to a different role or a different job; her views on the genuine concerns that people will not be able to access social welfare supports, should initial efforts to return to employment fail; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17280/15]

Written answers

Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection

The Department is committed to providing a range of supports and measures to encourage and facilitate people with disabilities to avail of employment opportunities.

For people who are in receipt of invalidity pension or illness benefit for a minimum of six months, the partial capacity benefit scheme, which was introduced in 2012, provides an opportunity to take up employment and continue to receive an ongoing portion of the weekly social welfare payment, including any increase being paid in respect of a qualified adult or qualified children. There are currently over 1,400 participants on the scheme with a budget of over €11.5 million for 2015.

The partial capacity benefit explicitly recognises and responds to the reality that some people with disabilities will have a capacity to engage in open market employment while continuing to require some income support from the State. The objective of the scheme is to incentivise such people to return to the workplace without fear of loss of their disability related social welfare benefits. If a person becomes unable to continue in employment, s/he may at any time revert to the full rate of illness benefit/invalidity pension, provided the qualifying conditions for that scheme continue to be satisfied.

Moreover, some people with a disability in receipt of social welfare income supports can work and retain a portion of their payment. For example, if a person's doctor recommends that the work is of a rehabilitative or therapeutic nature, recipients of disability allowance (DA) can work and earn €120 per week without affecting the rate of DA being paid, while if the weekly earnings are between €120 and €350, fifty per cent of the earnings will be disregarded in the DA means test.

While I appreciate concerns expressed on this matter, I can assure the Deputy that while the Department is conscious of the need to facilitate people with disabilities moving into employment where possible, access to social welfare supports will continue to be available should efforts to return to employment not work out.