Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2015
40. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the way her Department proposes to calculate the capacity to work of persons on disability payments, and to decide on who should be activated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17326/15]
View answerThe Government recognises the importance of increasing participation in employment for persons with a disability and provides a wide range of income and employment-related supports through the Department of Social Protection.
Employment-related supports include the Wage Subsidy Scheme, which is targeted at employers to encourage employment of people with disabilities, and the EmployAbility service, which supports people with disabilities who wish to work through the provision of a job coach.
Moreover, people with a disability in receipt of social welfare income supports who work can 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.
For people who are in receipt of invalidity pension or who have been in receipt of illness benefit for a minimum of six months, the partial capacity benefit scheme which I introduced in 2012 provides an opportunity for persons to take up employment and continue to receive an ongoing portion of their weekly social welfare payment, including any increase being paid in respect of a qualified adult or qualified children.
It is important to point out that the supports and measures outlined above are available to people with disabilities who wish to participate in employment. The Department is keeping the area of working age under review in the light of experience and reviews of the existing arrangements.
