Tuesday, 4 Dec 2018

Written Answers Nos. 647-668

Social Welfare Appeals Status

Questions (647)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

647. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50210/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred on 9th October 2018 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Invalidity Pension Applications

Questions (648)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

648. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50211/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The lady referred to has been awarded invalidity pension with effect from 12 April 2018.

Payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 13 December 2018. Arrears due from 12 April 2018 to 12 December 2018 less overlapping social welfare payments will issue as soon as possible. The lady in question was notified of this decision on 29 November 2018.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Appeals Status

Questions (649)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

649. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50226/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred on 9th October 2018 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Invalidity Pension Applications

Questions (650)

Darragh O'Brien

Question:

650. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an invalidity pension application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50258/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The gentleman referred to has been awarded invalidity pension with effect from 08 February 2018.

Payment will issue to his nominated bank account on 13 December 2018. Arrears of payment due from 08 February 2018 to 12 December 2018 will issue as soon as possible. The gentleman in question was notified of this decision on 03 December 2018.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

State Pensions

Questions (651)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

651. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of a State pension by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50268/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement.

Number of recipients of State Pensions at 31st October 2018 by County

County	State Pension (Non-Contributory)	State Pension (Contributory)	Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension	Invalidity Pension
Carlow	1,225	4,572	1,488	1,104
Cavan	2,355	5,234	1,728	812
Clare	3,279	9,515	2,876	1,253
Cork	9,812	42,786	13,667	7,629
Donegal	7,048	11,115	3,526	1,596
Dublin	14,369	102,970	30,607	13,644
Galway	7,357	17,409	5,615	2,201
Kerry	4,872	12,075	3,861	1,668
Kildare	2,251	14,325	4,576	2,460
Kilkenny	1,977	7,234	2,212	1,078
Laois	1,543	4,816	1,656	927
Leitrim	1,162	2,710	1,024	488
Limerick	3,996	16,309	5,200	3,406
Longford	1,280	3,240	1,027	614
Louth	2,414	10,159	3,068	1,838
Mayo	5,483	10,486	3,533	1,474
Meath	2,622	12,414	3,969	1,912
Monaghan	1,842	4,506	1,526	574
Offaly	1,535	5,645	1,913	1,134
Roscommon	2,160	5,019	1,707	876
Sligo	1,873	5,773	1,803	865
Tipperary	4,237	13,482	4,544	2,319
Waterford	2,539	9,970	3,184	1,647
Westmeath	1,681	6,778	2,336	1,264
Wexford	4,034	12,363	3,952	2,132
Wicklow	2,156	11,882	3,414	1,493
Other	22	45,983	7,647	1,135
Total	95,124	408,770	121,659	57,543

Jobseeker's Payments

Questions (652)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

652. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of a jobseeker's payment by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50269/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement.

Jobseeker's Recipients at 31st October by County

County	Jobseeker's Allowance	Jobseeker's Benefit
Carlow	2,818	426
Cavan	2,695	442
Clare	3,546	745
Cork	11,715	2,862
Donegal	8,769	1,212
Dublin	38,267	8,293
Galway	7,862	1,701
Kerry	5,293	1,697
Kildare	5,516	1,482
Kilkenny	2,490	435
Laois	3,092	554
Leitrim	1,332	275
Limerick	6,428	1,186
Longford	2,056	317
Louth	6,177	1,124
Mayo	5,352	889
Meath	3,513	791
Monaghan	1,971	396
Offaly	3,062	600
Roscommon	1,579	289
Sligo	2,341	415
Tipperary	6,442	1,109
Waterford	5,628	972
Westmeath	3,802	690
Wexford	7,294	1,246
Wicklow	4,199	881
Total	153,239	31,029

Exceptional Needs Payment Data

Questions (653)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

653. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who have received an exceptional needs payment from 1 January 2018 to date in 2018 by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50270/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. Almost 86,000 payments have issued under the scheme in 2018 up to end October. A breakdown of payments by county is available in the following tabular statement.

The ENP scheme is demand-led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

Any persons who consider that they have an entitlement to an exceptional needs payment should contact the Department’s Community Welfare Service.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Number of Payments under the Exceptional Needs and Urgent Needs Schemes, 1 Jan - 30 Oct 2018:

County	Number of Payments
Carlow	718
Cavan	402
Clare	3,756
Cork	11,510
Donegal	1,454
Dublin	23,919
Galway	2,339
Kerry	2,529
Kildare	2,836
Kilkenny	1,214
Laois	3,126
Leitrim	598
Limerick	6,460
Longford	1,057
Louth	1,142
Mayo	2,323
Meath	3,479
Monaghan	698
Offaly	986
Roscommon	1,513
Sligo	2,146
Tipperary	3,446
Waterford	2,991
Westmeath	2,727
Wexford	768
Wicklow	1,681
Total	85,818

Social Welfare Schemes Data

Questions (654)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

654. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the carer's support grant by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50271/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement.

Recipients of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and carer's support grant at the end of October 2018

County	Carer's Benefit	Carer's Allowance	Carer's Support Grant
Carlow	24	1,334	1,625
Cavan	43	1,279	1,605
Clare	61	2,005	2,600
Cork	348	8,802	12,263
Donegal	90	3,961	4,659
Dublin	521	16,253	22,203
Galway	174	4,306	5,558
Kerry	104	2,917	3,689
Kildare	102	2,839	3,930
Kilkenny	36	1,545	2,012
Laois	45	1,468	1,883
Leitrim	31	673	832
Limerick	124	4,242	5,459
Longford	27	1,073	1,260
Louth	74	2,360	2,972
Mayo	104	2,749	3,399
Meath	92	2,366	3,396
Monaghan	37	1,013	1,280
Offaly	51	1,885	2,301
Roscommon	53	1,317	1,698
Sligo	52	1,263	1,605
Tipperary	94	3,666	4,565
Waterford	76	2,132	2,662
Westmeath	69	1,794	2,329
Wexford	76	3,344	4,070
Wicklow	72	2,095	2,862
Other	36		48

Ministerial Meetings

Questions (655)

Niall Collins

Question:

655. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the public events she attended by county since 1 May 2018 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50282/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Below please find details of public events by county attended by me since 1 May 2018.

CORK

Attend Budget 2019 public meeting

Auto enrolment forum - public consultation

DUBLIN

Social Inclusion Forum

Women of ’83 event

T4Y Get Out the Vote Photocall – Together For Yes

Attend Ladies Race Evening for Breast Cancer Ireland

Attend the Pensions TCA Public Consultation Forum

Address the INOU Annual Delegates Conference

Attend EMPOWER Job Seekers Supports Fair

Attend Reception to mark the centenary of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia

Visit Bloom

launch of Funding for the Ability Programme

Address IIEA European Seminar on Social Policy & Country Specific Recommendation 2018

Address The National Recruitment Federation World Employment Conference

Lunch in honour of Mme Christine Lagarde, MD IMF

attend National Economic Dialogue

attend PRIDE parade

Launch of Big Brother & Big Sister Garda Youth Diversion Project

Attend Reception to mark the 242nd Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America

Chair FG Networking event

Attend National Day of Commemoration Ceremony

Launching the Strategic plan for The Finglas Centre

Attend Bastille Day celebration

DEASP Pre-Budget Forum

All Ireland Hurling Finals

Auto-Enrolment Launch

Attend 'Voices of Impact' Gala Dinner & Symposium

Address by His Holiness Pope Francis

Attend the book launch LEO VARADKAR - A VERY MODERN TAOISEACH

Camogie Finals

Official Opening of Fingal Mabs new premises

Launch Bereavement Report & New Bereavement Support services

Launch of Land Development Agency

Launch INOU Publication - Working for Work

Ladies football finals

Launch of the Vincentian Partnership & SVP Living Below the MESL report and tour of warehouse

Attend Auto Enrolment public consultation forum

Attend & speak at pre conference dinner for the 2nd International Join Our Boys Duchenne Conference 'Ensuring Irish Duchenne Patients'

Attend Winter Ready Meeting & Media Event

Presidential inauguration

Attend Small Firms Association Annual Lunch

Speak at the Womens Aid Seminar - Breaking the Pattern of Male Violence

Chair Employment Bar Association Annual Conference

GALWAY

Visit to Le Chéile Community Employment

Auto enrolment forum - public consultation

KERRY

Government meeting

KILDARE

Retired Staff Association of Maynooth University & St Patrick's College

KILKENNY

Budget 2019 Forum

LONGFORD

Attend Longford Fair

LOUTH

Visit Mid Louth CE Scheme

MEATH

National Alzheimers Tea Day Open Day Fundraiser

Attend Official Launch of Kells Tech Hub

Attend Graduation Ceremony for Dunboyne College

Public meeting Bus Éireann services

Ratoath Harps Dinner

Tattersalls International Horse Trails & Country Fair

Official visit to 3 schools with Ministers Bruton and English

Visit Dunshaughlin Childcare centre

Official unveiling of the "Active School" flag Kilcloon NS

official Launch of the Cluid Housing, Meath County Council & Glenveagh Development

Meath Association of London Jubliee Celebrations

Visit Shire Pharmaceutical Site Dunboyne

Ratoath Rugby Club opening of new pitch

Attend the official launch of County Meath Chamber

Attend Meath Comhairle na nÓg AGM

Attend Special Olympics Leinster Awards Evening

Attend Official Launch Party of the Dough Factory

Attend Flexibus LocalLink Rural Transport Day

Attend the Shire Site Dedication event

Attend Dunshaughlin Historicial World War 1 Armistice Day Ringing of Church Bells

OFFALY

Visit to the Offaly Traveller Movement offices and sites

WATERFORD

Attend the 25th Anniversary of Waterford MABS

Carer's Allowance Applications

Questions (656)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

656. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance claim in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [50300/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or adult who has such a disability that as a result, they require that level of care.

I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 6 July 2018.

Additional information was requested from the person concerned on 10 October 2018. Once the information is received the application will be processed without delay and he will be notified directly of the outcome.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Departmental Contracts Data

Questions (657)

Kate O'Connell

Question:

657. Deputy Kate O'Connell asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of contracts and-or tenders that have been awarded to a company (details supplied); the value of these contracts, that is, the amount the company has been paid; the services the contracts were for; and the number of public sector and-or publicly funded catering facilities being run by the company. [50362/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

My Department has not awarded any contracts or tenders to this company.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Household Budget Facility

Questions (658)

John Brady

Question:

658. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason for recent issues experienced by persons who use the household budget service in which deductions automatically applied and lodged into their household budget account did not happen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50375/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The Household Budget Service is operated by An Post on behalf of my Department. The facility allows participants to have regular amounts deducted from their social welfare payments which then go towards paying various household bills or rents or to repay certain loans to credit unions.

Social welfare recipients wishing to avail of the Household Budget Service apply to An Post to use the facility. Deductions are managed by An Post and are forwarded to the appropriate utility companies, local authorities/housing bodies or credit unions at no cost to the customer or to my Department.

For payments made to customers on Friday 2 and Wednesday 7 November, there was a technical issue with the payment files sent from the Department to An Post. Consequently An Post were unable to apply the automatic household budget deduction for some Social Welfare recipients. Instead these customers received their full payment amount.

As soon as my Department became aware of the technical problem, remedial work was undertaken and the issue resolved. There has been no reoccurrence of the problem.

Customers whose Household Budget Service deductions were not applied did not incur any loss to their social welfare payments. However, they would need to make alternative arrangements with the relevant utility companies, local authorities / housing bodies and credit unions for repayment towards household bills for the week that the deductions were not made.

My Department wrote directly to every individual affected by this technical issue apologising for the inconvenience caused to them and also to ensure that everyone affected was aware that the weekly deduction had not been made so that they could make any necessary arrangements.

I regret the inconvenience caused to the social welfare recipients affected by this technical failure.

Disability Allowance Applications

Questions (659)

Darragh O'Brien

Question:

659. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for disability allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50383/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

I confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from this gentleman on 19 October 2018. On completion of the necessary investigations on all aspects of the claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Illness Benefit Reform

Questions (660)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

660. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if further consultation with general practitioners will take place in respect of the roll-out of the new illness benefit online system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50397/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The Department has engaged in a consultation process with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), a longstanding representative body with a broad range of GPs in its membership, over recent months. It is hoped that this process can be brought to a successful conclusion shortly and that agreement can be concluded on a range of issues including e-certification, closed certification and changes to the forms in use for medical certification. The Deputy can be assured that the Department will continue to support and engage with GPs during the period of transition and operation of any new system.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Community Employment Schemes Supervisors

Questions (661)

Lisa Chambers

Question:

661. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when community employment supervisors will receive their pension entitlements in accordance with Labour Court recommendation No. 19293 of July 2008 and the Fianna Fáil Dáil Éireann motion of April 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50400/18]

Written answers

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection

As the Deputy is probably aware, Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector that receive public funding. They are not employees of my Department or public servants. My Department funds wages and training costs in respect of CE participants and supervisors – it does not provide and has not provided for funding for CE supervisor pensions.

On foot of the Labour Court recommendation, the issue of CE supervisor pensions is currently being examined by a Community Sector High Level Forum, chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. A number of Departments, including my own Department, are represented on this group, as are the unions and Pobal.

A detailed scoping exercise was carried out with input from the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) on the potential costs of providing Exchequer support for the establishment of such a pension scheme for employees across the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland. The exercise clearly illustrated that this matter presents very significant issues for the Exchequer, with a potential cost to the State of €188 million per annum in respect of funding to enable an employer pension contribution in State-funded Community and Voluntary organisations, excluding any provision for immediate ex-gratia lump sum payment of pension as sought, which could, depending on the size of the sector, entail a further Exchequer cost of up to €318 million.

I am very conscious that any provision of State funding for such a scheme in respect of those employees could potentially give rise to claims for similar schemes on the part of those in the broader sector, thus crystallising the potential level of liability. Any solution to this issue will require careful consideration, in particular the implications for scarce Exchequer resources.

Wage Subsidy Scheme

Questions (662, 663, 664, 665, 668)

John Brady

Question:

662. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of employers in receipt of the wage subsidy scheme under strand 1, 2 and 3; the number of employers that have participated in the scheme since it was introduced; the number of persons with a disability who are engaged with the scheme; and the number of persons with a disability who have engaged in the scheme since its introduction. [50427/18]

John Brady

Question:

663. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent on the wage subsidy scheme for each of the years since its introduction. [50428/18]

John Brady

Question:

664. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of inspections of premises carried out in which the wage subsidy scheme is being paid in respect of a person with a disability in each of the years since its introduction. [50429/18]

John Brady

Question:

665. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of employers who have been disqualified from the wage subsidy scheme since its introduction. [50430/18]

John Brady

Question:

668. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when her Department last reviewed the wage subsidy scheme, the employability service and the reasonable accommodation fund. [50433/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 662 to 665, inclusive, and 668 together.

The objective of the wage subsidy scheme (WSS) is to increase the likelihood of people with disabilities participating in the open labour market by making available a financial subsidy to private sector employers. Private sector companies/organisations employ people who happen to have a disability, and these employees enjoy the same employment rights, protections, terms and conditions of employment and any other benefits of their employment as would any other employee of a particular company.

The scheme transferred from the former FÁS agency to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) in 2012 and its operational guidelines were reviewed in 2016 by the Department and in subsequent years. The guidelines are published on the Department's website. A detailed description of the WSS and the different payment strands is available on welfare.ie, specifically http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Wage-Subsidy-Scheme_holder_3176.aspx.

Expenditure on the Wage Subsidy Scheme from 2012 to 2018 is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Expenditure on the Wage Subsidy Scheme

Year	Wage Subsidy Scheme (including ESS) €million
2012	€10.57
2013	€11.04
2014	€12.59
2015	€16.39
2016	€19.40
2017	€20.83
2018	€18.55 (to October)

In 2012, there were 663 employers availing of the scheme. At end October 2018, there were 1,663 in receipt of strand 1 subsidies with 137 of these in receipt of Strand 2 and three in receipt of Strand 3. Each of these payments is in effect a strand one payment. The number of employments for which a subsidy is being claimed is presented in tabular form.

Table 2: Wage Subsidy Scheme: Number of employments (end of year)

Year	Number of persons in employment
2012	1,006
2013	1,159
2014	1,548
2015	2,144
2016	2,482
2017	2,669
2018	2,606 (at end of October)

The Department can carry out an annual review of an employer using on-site visits (where a DEASP officer interviews employers and employees) or desk reviews (which include a review of the subsidy and a productivity level report that requires signed declarations by the employer and employee). During a desk or on site monitoring visit the case officer can seek copies of various supporting documentation including tax, wage or time and attendance records to check that the terms and conditions of the subsidy are being adhered to.

The Department does not currently collect data centrally on the number of these inspections or on the number of employers that have been disqualified. Information will be collated and sent to the Deputy. It is expected that the move to the improved IT infrastructure in 2019 will improve the ability centrally to report on the scheme.

A review of the EmployAbility Service by Indecon was published in 2016. The Department intends to undertake a review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund in 2019 with a view to assessing how its operations could be more effective.

Services for People with Disabilities

Questions (666)

John Brady

Question:

666. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons with a disability who have engaged with the EmployAbility service since its introduction; the number of persons who have gained employment through the scheme since its introduction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50431/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

The Public Employment Service (PES) is managed by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) and is delivered by its Intreo service and by companies under contract delivering a range of services such as the EmployAbility, Local Employment (LES), Jobpath and Job Club services.

The nationwide EmployAbility Service provides an employment support service for people with a health condition, injury, illness or disability and a recruitment advice service for the business community. The service is delivered on behalf of the Department by 23 companies. The Department funds the delivery of the service, on a cost incurred basis.

The EmployAbility service transferred from FÁS into DEASP in 2012 and a review of the service by Indecon was published in 2016. The Indecon report set out recommendations for the Service both at a strategic and operational level. The Department is working with the service providers to implement these recommendations. The Indecon review is available on the department’s website at: https://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/IndeconEvaluationofEmployAbility.pdf

The data request are presented in tabular format.

Table 1: Expenditure(1) on the EmployAbility Service

Year	EmployAbility €million
2012	€8.10
2013	€8.71
2014	€8.43
2015	€8.66
2016	€8.56
2017	€8.72
2018	€8.05 (to November)

Table 2: EmployAbility: Number of participants (end of year)

Year	EmployAbility
2012	2,762
2013	2,862
2014	2,936
2015	3,000
2016	3,095
2017	2,994
2018	3,128 (at end of October)

Note: 2012 to 2014 data taken from Indecon review of the EmployAbility Service. The 2015 figure is estimated. Information from 2016 onward collated by DEASP from data provided by the companies delivering the EmployAbility service. The EmployAbility service has been designed to provide intensive supports for people with disabilities. As such, the target caseload of the Job coaches employed by the companies is circa 25:1.

Table 3: EmployAbility: Number of exits into employment (end of year)

Year	Total placements in employment (defined as a minimum of eight [8] hours per week)
2012	631
2013	686
2014	891
2015	N/A
2016	920
2017	1,027
2018	888 (to end September)

Note: 2012 to 2014 data taken from Indecon review of the EmployAbility Service. The 2015 figure is not available. Information from 2016 onward collated by DEASP from data provided by the companies delivering the EmployAbility service.

Services for People with Disabilities

Questions (667, 669)

John Brady

Question:

667. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of employers who have sought assistance through the reasonable accommodation fund for each of the available four grants; and the amount spent on the fund and on each of the four grants. [50432/18]

John Brady

Question:

669. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications that have been made under the disability awareness support scheme; the number which have been successful; and the amount spent on the scheme since its introduction. [50434/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 667 and 669 together.

The Reasonable Accommodation Fund for the employment of people with disabilities assists employers in the private sector to take appropriate measures to enable a person with a disability to have access to employment by providing a range of grants. The RAF and the DASS schemes transferred from FÁS into this Department in 2012.

These grants and supports include:

- the Workplace Equipment and Adaptation Grant,

- the Personal Reader Grant,

- the Job Interview Interpreter Grant, and

- the Employee Retention Grant.

The Disability Awareness Support Scheme (DASS) provides funding so that private sector employers can fund Disability Awareness Training for staff who work with a colleague who has a disability. The purpose of the training is to deliver clear and accurate information about disability and to address questions or concerns that employers and employees may have about working with people with disabilities. Further details on the grants / schemes are available on the department’s website (see link below) including the Employer information pack, which sets out details of the supports available for employers.

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Supports-for-People-with-Disabilities-and-for-Employers---SW.aspx

The Reasonable Accommodation Fund (RAF) and the DASS are demand-led schemes where expenditure arises in response to applications received. The Department will undertake a review of the operations of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund in 2019 with a view to enhancing its effectiveness and to improve reporting with regards to the scheme.

The relevant statistics follow in the following tables.

Table 1: Expenditure (1) on the Disability Awareness Support Scheme

Year	Disability Awareness Support Scheme
2012	€2,430
2013	€834
2014	€3,760
2015	€12,967
2016	€9,270
2017	€62,275
2018	€20,214 (to October)
Total	€117,750

[1] DASS expenditure has been updated following a review.

Table 2: Expenditure on the Reasonable Accommodation Fund for People with Disabilities

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018 (to Oct.)
Workplace equipment and adaptation grant	€71,176	€81,724	€61,776	€58,108	€54,041	€69,254	€87,434
Personal reader grant	€27,274	€27,526	€14,499	€11,866	€16,537	€31,619	€11,316
Job interview interpreter grant	€6,355	€2,767	€1,589	€3,950	€7,244	€5,714	€6,115
Employee retention grant	€4,320	€0	€0	€0	€0	€0	€1,900
Total	€109,125	€112,017	€77,864	€73,925	€77,822	€106,587	€106,765

Table 3: Total applications under the Reasonable Accommodation Fund for People with Disabilities and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018 (to Oct.)
Workplace equipment and adaptation grant	33	44	36	64	39	39	39
Personal reader grant	49	71	49	71	49	56	32
Job interview interpreter grant	42	29	18	63	26	28	34
Employee retention grant	2	6	8	0	0	0	1
Disability Awareness Support Scheme	1	1	3	5	2	11	5
Total	127	151	114	203	116	134	111

Statistics are not collected centrally on unsuccessful applications for the DASS and the Department will seek to collect this from its offices and communicate directly with the Deputy.

Question No. 668 answered with Question No. 662.